


spring is like a perhaps hand.

by msbutterfingers



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Accidental Cottagecore, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Elemental Magic, F/M, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Happy Ending, Inappropriate Use of Elemental Magic, Indulgent Fashion Descriptions, King Ben Solo, Love Letters, Magic, Mutual Pining, Queen Rey (Star Wars), Rivals to Lovers, Royal Rivals, Slow Build, erotic hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:33:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27078103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msbutterfingers/pseuds/msbutterfingers
Summary: Rey Summerday is the Summer Kingdom’s elected queen, born with the magic of summer in her veins. Ben Amidala, of the auspicious Amidala bloodline, is king of the Winter Kingdom, born with frigid winter magic within him. Their kingdoms are ancient rivals in the country of Dyad.The relationship between the two royals is antagonistic, for good reason: they're opposites in every way. Cold blooded versus hot blooded, born into royalty versus born into nothing, life-giving versus death-bringing. But they’re also drawn to each other in ways they cannot explain.Both are powerful in their magic, and both must work together to maintain the nebulous peace in their country--without letting their complicated feelings for one another get in the way.(Title borrowed from e.e. cummings poem of the same name.)
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 48
Kudos: 106
Collections: Reylo Hidden Gems, To Rapture the Earth and the Seas: the 2020 Reylo Fanfiction Anthology





	1. spring/summer.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all!
> 
> I'm so excited to finally share this story with the world. It's been an absolute pleasure and adventure to write it for this year's Reylo Fanfiction Anthology. This is different from anything else I've ever written, and I'm very proud of it.  
>  I wrote this story to escape from our current world, to dream of another world where magic is real, and to explore the power of progress, of touch, and of love. It's basically exactly what I needed right now, and I hope it might comfort some of you, too.
> 
> I want to say a big thank you to hikari_1901 for being a kickass beta for this story, and another HUGE thank you to Mneme and Briar from RFFA for their editing superpowers to help me make this be the very best it could be!!
> 
> I wrote this as one long piece, but I've decided to split it up into parts for readability. [Here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7swlURZz6nMkqC3J7te4Hu?si=VVmONvIoT8ebi0LWx_TNSw) is the playlist! 
> 
> Well, after months and months of work, here it is. Part one. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> (Moodboard below by me, with the snippet from the e.e. cummings poem that partially inspired this story.)

**spring is like a perhaps hand.**

And here they were again.

During the bi-annual meeting between the royals of the two opposing kingdoms in the nation of Dyad, in the Spring and Autumn Great Hall, the raised voices of the passionate Summer royal cabinet and the haughty Winter royal cabinet echoed off the ornate walls and arched ceiling. 

Officially, this twice-yearly meeting existed to make negotiations for the upcoming dual-season, or Peace Season. Spring and autumn, the times of year in which the season was both a little summer and a little winter at once, had been the only source of peace for centuries between the Summer Kingdom and the Winter Kingdom. And for centuries, the events of the dual-seasons were negotiated between the rulers of the two kingdoms. At least on paper. 

This method served to keep the peace between them, as well as keeping the two Main Seasons as equal as possible. There was a treaty created nearly three hundred years ago to put these terms into place, and it had enforced a tenuous sense of balance and calm across the nation, the country of Dyad finally free from the perils of a five-century long civil war. 

At least, outwardly.

“Listen here, you filthy hot-blooded mongrels!” Lord Armitage Hux, a Winter, spat from across the meeting floor, his pale face flushing riotous pink with outrage. “His Majesty will not bow to your selfish demands! Spring comes slowly, and will thaw the lands quietly. There will  _ be _ no premature heat spells, and the King will intersperse his freezes as he sees fit!”

“Mongrels? Ha! Rich coming from you!” Lord Poe Dameron, a Summer, shot back in his booming, brash voice. “You’d better watch yourself. There’ll be none of that in front of our Queen. Keep that kind of language in your kingdom.”

Lady Rose Tico, also a Summer, added sharply, “And your King should watch himself. Spring is the lead-in to Summer, that’s  _ our _ time. That means more of our power. The next time he attempts a full deep-freeze in May, there’ll be hell to pay for it.”

Gasps spread through the small gathering of the Winter cabinet. Lord Armitage blanched, nearly imperceptible for how pale he already was. “Was that a threat? Did you just openly threaten our King?”

“Enough,” said Queen Summer. Her voice remained measured and even, but the room immediately quieted all the same. She didn’t even stand from her Sun throne--it was her second most important throne, gilded with gold and heated with electricity to warm her from the tepid air inside the meeting hall. 

She was dressed for the occasion, wearing her first spring royal outfit of the season: a simple, a-line pastel green dress, falling just below the knee with a neckline that cut across her collarbone, along with a sheer shawl interweaved with cherry blossom petals that draped over her shoulders. Her crown today matched the shawl she wore, a simple chain of living cherry blossoms on a branch that circled the crown of her head snugly, conjured by Her Majesty the Queen herself. The blossoms turned toward the artificial light from the chandeliers above.

Regal, elegant, and formidable, yet warm and radiant all at once, like the sun’s rays shone within her. It was as if she was born for the throne, like she was always meant to be there, and yet she came from no established royal bloodline. Rey Summerday, a commoner, was the Summer people’s chosen queen through their own, unique democratic monarchy. And because of that, her people adored her.

She gazed down at her cabinet, at Lady Rose in particular, and said again, “That’s enough. There will be no more threats made from any of you. This is no place for that. You know better.”

The members of the Summer cabinet ducked their heads, chastised. 

“My apologies, Your Majesty,” Lady Rose murmured. It crushed the Queen’s heart. Outside of official royal events, behind the scenes where no one could look on in scorn and judgement, Lady Rose was her closest confidant. They had been friends since before she’d taken the throne. She knew it was protocol for Rose to speak to her this way during official events, to bow her head and to avert her eyes, but it still made her feel awkward at times.

The Queen didn’t linger on those thoughts, turning her gaze instead to King Winter, who had watched this exchange transpire in his normal brooding silence. 

He sat across the meeting room from her on his Moon throne, encrusted with diamonds and full of mechanisms that kept it chilled, to accommodate him in a room which was slightly too warm for him. And as usual, his royal wear for even a casual royal event was still head-to-toe black. Every inch of his skin from his throat to his feet was covered, and today, sitting atop his coiffed head of thick raven hair, was a simple ice crown. Made not by himself but by one of his craftsmen, it was so thin and delicate that he could snap it into two with just a slight flex of one of his gloved hands.

The opposite of the Queen’s comforting warmth, the King emitted the kind of stark cold aura that made frost gather on the surface of the stone floors surrounding him. 

“King Winter, what say you?” Queen Summer asked the King. “Is it as Lord Armitage says? Do you plan on many freezes for this upcoming spring?”

King Winter had already been gazing at her for some time, watching her address her cabinet with his impassive countenance--dark, cold eyes under heavy brows, inside of a long, pale face. And, as usual, he used as few words as possible. When he did speak in his commanding, rumbling voice, he said, “It is as he says.”

The Queen’s face twitched downward, displeased. “I see.” She paused, heavily. Then she asked, “How many?”

“Thirty.”

Sounds of disbelief erupted among the Summer’s cabinet at King Winter’s gall. Thirty overnight freezes? In the  _ spring _ ? It was clear: the King was planning on making this yet another cold spring. Coming from an auspicious bloodline of Winter royals, however, this kind of behavior from him was nothing new. By now he was expected to stir up trouble for the Summer Kingdom as often as possible. 

And with this only being the  _ elected  _ Queen Rey Summerday’s second summer season, he was also expected by his cabinet to continue to put pressure on her, to make her reign unsteady. That was the Winters’ way: manipulation and intimidation.

The high number had rankled the Queen, as well. And after the complaints last spring from her people at how miserable it had been, Queen Summer was  _ not _ going to let that happen again.

“No,” she said, before she could think better of it and perhaps phrase it in a more tactful way. “Absolutely not.”

Though he didn’t smile--he never smiled--King Winter’s brow twitched in amusement. “Pardon me, Queen Summerday?” He leaned forward on his throne, his elbows perched on his splayed knees. It was hardly proper royal posture, but today his grandmother wasn’t there to chastise him. “Was that an unequivocal no from you, rather than any sort of compromise? One might call that an impertinence.”

The Queen fought to keep her composure, bristling at his use of her last name instead of her actual, proper title. He was always doing that. And she knew why: Because she had been elected, and because the Winters looked down on the Summers having a semi-democratic system instead of a traditional, unequivocal monarchy, none of them saw her as a  _ real _ queen. It was insulting. 

“Excuse me, King  _ Winter _ . Forgive me,” she bit out, even though it felt like trying to hold in a sneeze. 

Even though there was a smugness to his dark eyes, the King simply nodded, accepting her apology. 

“What I mean to say,” the Queen continued, “is that it has been a long, hard winter for the Summer people. What my people need is a lovely spring to reinvigorate them. And less cold.”

“Less cold,” King Winter echoed. “Less of  _ us _ , you mean.”

The Queen knew that the King was twisting her words to get a rise out of her. She  _ knew _ it, but knowing it did not keep it from working. “That is  _ not _ what I mean.” She took a breath to try and clarify, but it didn’t take much to incense the Winter cabinet. She was interrupted, and things quickly deteriorated again.

“Oh, here we go with those Summer egos,” Lady Phasma Frost, of the Winter cabinet, droned. “Always thinking that heat is the only thing that matters, the only way to live.”

“It’s insulting,” said Winter Lord Dopheld Mitaka from next to her.

Lady Kaydel Connix, a bold member of the Summer cabinet, snarled, “‘Summer egos’? Some  _ Winters _ want to talk about  _ egos _ ?”

Lord Armitage interjected, speaking over Lady Kaydel, “Must we coddle them any longer? Must we always bow to their will?”

“Excuse me, I wasn’t finished speaking,” Lady Kaydel snapped at Lord Armitage, her voice raising.

Summer Lady Jannah Calrissian snarled, indignant, “ _ Who _ needs to be coddled?” 

Now even Lord Finn Green was getting involved, and he had been quiet for this entire meeting. Adding to what Lady Jannah had said, he directed his ire to the whole Winter cabinet. “As if it’s not the privilege of Winters which makes you so entitled to what  _ you _ want to begin with!”

Lord Armitage turned a razor-sharp glare to him, sniping with contempt, “Silence, traitor!” Tension simmered in the room at the targeted insult.

Lord Finn’s background was rare--he was the son of a Summer/Winter union. A bi-seasonal child raised as a summer with mostly only summer traits, he’d grown used to insults, most of them much worse than what could be uttered in a royal setting. In a time before the Divide, long before the separation of kingdoms and the war, he might’ve been called a Spring rather than a Summer. But those days were gone.

Queen Summer bit down on her tongue hard, wanting to defend her cabinet member and put Lord Armitage in his place, but knowing that she couldn’t here. Heat flared in the air surrounding her, and her throne’s mechanisms cooled down, adjusting to her higher body temperature. She gripped the arm rests of it. If Lord Armitage continued, she might just commit a  _ real _ impertinence.

But Lord Finn said nothing back to him, only lifted his chin with pride and curled his lip, challenging him to say anything more. And as thin-skinned as Lord Armitage was, this was enough to shut him up. Someone else in the room shifted in their seat from this tense exchange--the King himself. For reasons that no one else in the room knew.

Because His Majesty King Winter Ben Amidala, the grandson of the esteemed ex-Queen Winter of several decades and matriarch of the Amidala royal family, Padme Amidala, was also the child of a bi-seasonal relationship.

This had been kept secret for as long as he’d been alive--because his magic fully presented as Winter, as well as his physical characteristics, and most of his personality, nobody knew who his father was but his grandmother. His parents went into hiding in an isolated Summer village, and Ben was raised as a Winter by his grandmother. Despite the strange, sudden disappearance of his mother, Princess Winter Leia Amidala, no one in the Winter Kingdom had ever figured it out--or perhaps were silenced if they had. Even his cabinet was none the wiser.

The cabinets continued their bickering, and King Winter had had enough. “Silence!” he boomed, his voice echoing off the hall’s stone floors and arched ceilings, silencing the entire room. Instantly he regretted letting it slip. His eyes closed, and he rubbed a temple with one hand.

There it was. That tiny piece of Summer, loud and reckless. No matter what he did to bury it, the King would always have a little bit of Summer inside of him. He had to resist it to do well by his people. He would always have something to prove, so that he would be seen as Winter enough. And outbursts like that certainly didn’t help.

“King Winter,” Queen Summer said, and the King snapped to attention. This time she  _ did _ raise her voice. “Despite what you believe I meant by my last statement, you know as well as I do that balance is what we must strive for in this time.”

“Yes,” King Winter replied. “I do know that.”

“We must. For the greater good of our people and for our ancestors, who strove for peace between us all.”

“Indeed.”

The Queen folded her hands together in her lap. “So does His Majesty then agree that the both of us must make compromises in order to both get what we want?”

The King took this in for a long, quiet few moments. One could hear a pin drop on the floors. Slowly, he took a deep breath, then released a dry sigh. And instead of answering her question directly, he asked her, “What do  _ you _ want, Queen Summerday?”

“I want the comfort and happiness of my people.”

“That is also what I want. For my people.”

The Queen sighed too. He wasn’t going to make this easy for her. But then again, he never did.

“Then I propose a trade.”

King Winter tilted his head in slight interest, gazing at her under his brow. “What kind?”

“I will allow fifteen overnight freezes, and to replace the remaining fifteen that you wanted, I’ll allow fifteen hail storms.”

He paused, thinking this over. “And what will this be in exchange for?” he asked.

“For the tradeoff,” said the Queen, “more clear, sunny days, and a great start to the growth season.”

The King squinted, reading into what she’d told him. “You want more rain.”

She nods. “I do. For a more fruitful summer this year.”

He paused again, pondering. Turning the idea over in his head. Then he said, “I want twenty hailstorms.”

“Nope.”

“Twenty or no deal.”

“Ten hailstorms, and five foggy, rainy days, for my regular rain. That is my final offer, or I refuse your fifteen freezes altogether.” The Queen tilted her chin up. “Do we have a deal?”

The King leveled his eyes at her, and the Queen stared back. Both sides were unwavering. Both cabinets watched the silent battle between them in suspense, slack-jawed, unblinking. 

Finally, the King relented, realizing that this was all she would give him, and it was a decent deal for him, too. He would have to give in if he wanted this to be over with, because he had better things to do. She’d known this, which was exactly why she’d given him such a deal. She was clever.

Which was why he could not,  _ would _ not, under  _ any _ circumstances, underestimate her. Queen Summerday had a quiet power to her that could not be overlooked, which could prove to be a threat to his reign.

“Deal,” he said. The Queen lifted her chin in triumph.

The paperwork was signed, and the deal was done.

~~~

The inauguration of the Spring Equinox was underway.

Rey was finishing her preparations, her maids and stylists helping her dress in her most elaborate spring gown. She didn’t get to  _ choose _ which gowns she wore for formal appearances, of course. That was all chosen by her royal advisors, always making sure that she looked her best. Unlike the modest dress she’d had on the day before at the meeting hall, this one was in all ways fit for a queen. 

Floor length, the base of it was powder blue and made of silk, and the fabric overlay had a busy floral pattern of all sorts of bright colors. As was part of protocol for spring and autumn activities while working with the Winter Kingdom’s monarch, she wore a pair of gloves. Matching the floral pattern of her dress and covering up to her forearms, they were meant to mute her magic slightly, a standard gesture of politeness for Summer and Winter interaction.

Winding around the skirt and up the fitted torso and bust of her gown were multiple, free-growing peonies at full bloom in riotous shades of pink and red. To match, a living crown of peonies across the top of her head, with baby’s breath weaved through her long brown hair in an intricately crafted updo.

Rey was ecstatic to get to grow her own floral crowns and dressings daily again. That was the one part of her daily appearance that she  _ did _ get to choose herself. During the winter, her magic was too weak to make them daily. She could feel the flowers’ energy humming back to her happily, blissful in the sunlight and her own Summer heat. They wanted to keep growing, to grow more leaves to soak up the rays, and so she leant them more of her power to stretch their proverbial legs.

“Fifteen minutes until we leave for the ceremony, Your Majesty,” said Lady Kaydel, entering the dressing room.

Rey’s makeup artist lifted away the lip brush she’d been using to apply lipstick--a bright, warm fuchsia to match the peonies. “Thank you, Lady Kaydel,” Rey said. Lady Kaydel started to leave, then paused in the doorway, just looking at Rey in awe. Rey, for a moment feeling like the normal girl that she had been once instead of the queen she had become, asked her quietly, genuinely, “How do I look?”

Lady Kaydel grinned. “Gorgeous. As always, Your Majesty.”

When the stylists and maids were done, Rey was whisked out of the Summer castle and into the electric transport waiting for her. It took a team of six people to fit her entire gown inside so they could shut the door, and Rey carefully shifted her skirt around her so that she didn’t sit on her flowers. Her cabinet followed her in their own individual transports, and together they all left the Summer Kingdom. 

When their caravan of transports arrived at the Spring and Autumn Great Hall once again, they were greeted with the sight of thousands of people surrounding the place, unlike the quiet emptiness of the night before. There were Winters and Summers alike in the crowds, the people of the Summer kingdom donning their spring best for the Spring Equinox celebrations. The Winters, noticeably, wore the opposite: dark shades and mourning clothes as they grieved the official end of their season. 

After parking in a private area, Rey was helped out of her transport and guided in through the back entrance of the Great Hall, where King Winter and his cabinet were already waiting and brooding. They were annoyingly, over-the-top punctual, as Winters usually were.

As the Summer Court entered the Hall, King Winter’s eyes immediately found Rey. She didn’t let it intimidate her, no matter how unwavering and examining his gaze was--likely picking apart and taking note of her every flaw, as usual. 

What King Winter deemed appropriate spring wear still looked like funeral wear to Rey, though slightly less dour in shades of dark gray head-to-toe instead of black. He wore a waistcoat with a jacket instead of his winter signature, a floor-dusting cloak, along with gray gloves and pressed dark gray suit pants, all fitting him so perfectly that Rey hoped his tailor was paid adequately for his work.

The only piece of black in his ensemble today was a black sash with the royal Amidala crest on it in silver, along with dozens of little round pins and medals that meant something official but Rey wasn’t sure what. His crown was a more intricate piece than the previous one: triangular shapes that wove together and overlapped, all the points coming toward the crown of his head in jagged edges, chaotic and modern at the same time. Impressive, Rey had to admit.

Rey approached where he stood and waited for the ceremony to begin, stopping with a few good meters of space between them. She inclined her head slightly at him in a semi-formal bow. “King Winter,” she said in greeting, because she had to.

He inclined his head toward her, even more slight. “Queen Summerday,” he replied.

Rey ground her teeth together, turning to face the double doors, where they would be exiting and greeting the people of their kingdoms at any moment. “Queen  _ Summer _ ,” she corrected him curtly.

King Winter turned to face the doors, too. With no change at all to his carefully blank face, he scoffed under his breath in answer.

Rey’s hand, the one furthest from him and hidden by the skirts of her gown, clenched into a fist. Though she would always be obligated to be civil to King Winter as long as the both of them were on their thrones, one thing was for sure: she couldn’t stand Ben Amidala.

The double doors opened, and they were greeted by the cheers and adulation of their kingdoms as they walked onto the front steps. She waved to the crowds with a smile, and he looked outward at them haughtily with a still hand raised in the air. His version of a wave.

The ceremony began. As was protocol, Rey stood in front of King Winter, right hand raised in front of her, palm facing him. He lifted his hand to meet hers, and their hands touched palm to palm, glove against glove.

Rey summoned her powers carefully, contained in her hand. The King summoned his. Rey’s blood tingled with the sensation of their powers at work, her skin vibrating all the way down to her arm. Their magic met, and between their opposing forces, a sudden burst of humid warmth formed between them, a symbiotic force. Balance. 

Secretly, it felt...good. Their powers fused together like this. No, better than good. It felt magnificent. Tingly and strange in a good way, all over her body. 

But Rey would  _ never _ let him know that.

Together, they lifted the warm bond of their magicks, lifting it high above their heads and into the sky. Rey took a deep breath, summoning even more of her power, feeling the Earth underneath her shoes giving graciously to her, strengthening her. 

With a mighty blast of their mutual power that spread all around them and nearly rocked Rey back on her heels, winter slowly lifted. The stark cold in the air turned to a pleasant cool, and the sun felt warmer in the air. The Summer people cheered. The Winters were silent.

Rey’s heart raced, electrified. She had to catch her breath and shake out her hand afterward, but when she glanced back at the King, he hardly looked winded or even moved by their joint effort at all. Annoying.

To finish the ceremony as was expected of them, they stiffly shook hands to the sound of applause. At least fifteen seconds long was the standard. Rey counted the excruciating seconds in her head. The royal photographer snapped a photo of their ceremonial handshake, and Rey forced a tight smile on her face, because she had to. 

As soon as they were allowed to, they dropped each other’s hands and went their separate ways. The ceremony was done. Rey spent some time greeting her people as the Winter King’s carriage caravan left back to their kingdom. Rey was not sorry to see him go.

Spring was here. Her time had begun.

~~~

The Earth waking from its slumber in spring felt like nothing else. It hummed inside Rey’s bones, sweet warmth, like clover honey. Rey wanted to drink it up, bathe in it, drown in it. 

She knew this was nothing compared to the first day of summer. When summer fully arrived, she would feel positively  _ drunk _ with this kind of bliss all the time. But this first hit of her in-between season was pretty powerful, too.

And she couldn’t wait to get started.

The day after the equinox, she woke early. After breakfast, she gleefully dressed  _ herself _ for a full day of work: neat slacks with a nice stretch to them that would let her squat and walk around comfortably all day, and a floral blouse that she could roll up the sleeves to. She quickly made a crown of chained daisies, and with Lord Chewbacca by her side as her guard, she was out and about in the Summer Kingdom on her first day back.

Instead of taking a transport, Rey preferred to do her work on foot. Walking everywhere she needed to go, barefoot, made her feel more connected to her surroundings, and it gave her magic more ways to stretch and spread.

She walked to the Sun Village this way, Chewbacca strong but silent less than an arm’s length behind her. Her footfalls in the dirt road left foot-shaped patches of green in her wake. They cut through the fields as they neared the village, and Rey trailed her hands along the tall dry brown foliage as they went. Green spread anew and alive under her fingertips, wild daisies blooming into existence like the ones around her head.

They arrived in the Sun Village, and villagers ran to greet her with excitement. Elderly villagers reached out, and Rey grasped their hands in hers. Children gathered around her legs, and she bent to kiss them on their foreheads. 

Gruff, Lord Chewbacca moved her along through the growing crowd, the press of bodies making him uneasy. Chewbacca had been the royal guard for the past several Summer monarchs--he was perfectly capable, but old,  _ very _ old, Rey was almost afraid to ask how old--and so the Summers of all generations were used to his manner. He seemed to be even more protective of Rey than any of the Summer royals before.

The streets in the Sun Village were cobblestone, and the buildings were warm oranges and bold yellows and tans with vines running up and down their walls. Currently the vines were shriveled and dry from the winter freeze. Carefully, Rey brushed her fingers over their leaves, and green spread through them again, coming back to life. There was much flora for her to revive throughout the kingdom, and she needed to pace herself.

She made her way through the village, doing her work, smiling at citizens that passed by her or peeked their heads out their windows to wave and adulate their queen. After a handful of hours, her work in the Sun Village was complete.

When they left, Lord Chewbacca insisted she stop for lunch. He called a transport from the castle, and some minutes later it arrived at their location with servants holding a large basket, packed full of food made by the royal chef, along with Rey’s favorite picnic blanket.

Rey and Chewbacca spread out in a nearby field after she touched the ground with her palm, reviving the dried grass to a lush soft green surface to settle on. They unwrapped crusty breads and soft cheeses and some bunches of grapes from the castle’s indoor, year-round vineyard. They ate and watched the wild horses gallop over hills in the distance.

After their leisurely lunch, they set out for the Petal Village. The streets here were a white pavement, but the buildings were narrow, tall, and in shades of pastels: pinks and mints, pale yellows and blues lighter than the sky. Nearly every window, with their shutters thrown open, had boxes of plants hanging underneath them, ones Rey couldn’t reach even with a ladder. So instead she reached with her magic, stretching it up and out. It was hard work, and Rey found herself starting to tire after a few blocks. The season was still new, and her powers weren’t their strongest. It would help if she could really dig her feet into the earth, but the pavement prevented it.

At Chewbacca’s nagging insistence, she guzzled water and went slower so she wouldn’t overtax herself. As a result, getting through the Petal Village took another day. They left back to the castle when night fell and returned there the next morning, taking a different route. The previous route they’d taken had begun to flourish, spreading slowly out from where Rey’s hands and feet had touched.

It was taxing work, but no one else could do it but her. This was a key part of the Summer Monarch’s responsibilities, as regular Summers weren’t allowed to conjure at this sort of scale. All Summers had a grasp of summer magic, to a certain extent. But it was illegal for them to do certain things, such as bringing warmth and life back to the land this way. Plus, it took a certain amount of ability and natural talent to be able to do it in the first place. 

Hence why Rey had been elected queen, having been born with a grasp of summer magic that hadn’t been seen in generations.

Finally finishing in the Petal Village, they moved onto the Lakeside Village, where she revived the moss and willows and began to warm the lake water, preparing it for Summer bodies to swim in. Then lastly, the Green Village, also known as the Garden Sector of the Summer Kingdom. The most difficult one. It would take her a week or more to complete, but she was prepared for the challenge. 

This was her favorite part of being Queen Summer, after all--breathing life back into her kingdom. Working together with the Earth itself to wake everything up. Making everything green and lush again.

After a week and a half, when her work was complete in the Green Village, Chewbacca carried her back home where she collapsed into bed, resting for days. Recharging and gaining back her strength.

But the spring was still young, and there was still much to do.

~~~

“Remember we’ll be with you the whole time,” Lady Rose reassured her for the third time. The first time was while she was getting ready this morning, the second was before they had climbed into their respective transports, and now it was while she, Lord Poe, Lady Jannah, and Lord Chewbacca stood outside the open door of her transport, trying to coax her out of it.

Rey shifted on her transport seat again, grimacing. “Of course.” Even as she said that, though, dread still weighed her limbs down like rocks. She climbed out of the transport, grabbing the skirt of her dress in her hands.

“It won’t be so bad, Your Majesty,” reassured Lady Jannah. Normally she didn’t come along on these outings, but Rey had asked her to come, so she’d agreed. “You’ll be out of here before you know it.”

Lord Poe and Lord Chewbacca had been noticeably silent. Chewbacca was more on-alert than usual, and Poe appeared as on edge as Rey felt. Rose and Jannah hid it well, but they were also uneasy. But that was to be expected--it wasn’t often that members of her cabinet entered the Winter Kingdom with her.

But Rey had to. She had to oversee the transition of seasons here as well, not just in her own kingdom. It’s what the Peace Seasons were for--a balance of both. Once again, she’d have to venture here more often than she wanted to and spend more time with someone she couldn’t stand.

The journey to the Winter Castle took ages. Much like the Summer Castle, it was built on a cliffside, but they were also in the mountains, which allowed it to overlook the rest of the kingdom. It was a nice view and all, but the journey required going right through the middle of the Winter Kingdom’s busiest villages.

Which had meant that there had been many sharp Winter eyes on their caravan as they’d passed through. After all, every last one knew who the transports belonged to--the disgraceful  _ elected _ Queen of the Summers. Some had looked on with indifference, some had stared at them balefully. Some made insulting hand gestures, which the tinted windows didn’t do much to conceal.

Needless to say, trips to the Winter Kingdom were tense and uncomfortable for the average Summer, and  _ especially  _ for Rey. But later in the year, the roles would reverse, and King Winter would have to travel to the Summer Kingdom during the autumn. And the Summers were much less polite to Winters in their lands. As soon as boundaries between lands were crossed, all civility shown in the Spring and Autumn ceremonial areas disappeared.

Rey and her small group of guards/confidants/emotional-support-Summers waited outside the castle, arriving on punctual Winter time.

They hadn’t waited for more than two minutes before King Winter stepped out of the Winter Castle, two of his Winter Knights at his side, clad in their shiny red armor. “Queen Summerday,” he greeted impassively. “Welcome back to the Winter Kingdom.”

“King Winter,” she replied with the smallest, stiffest incline of her head. “Thank you for having me.”

“A pleasure,” he said, though his demeanor claimed otherwise. “No use in wasting any time. Let’s get going.”

Together they left in a carriage drawn by two sleek black horses, her cabinet in tow in carriages behind them. Rey found it so strange that carriages were still so common in the Winter Kingdom. It seemed so archaic coming from a kingdom that kept all their homes and residences equipped with freezing units, meant to keep the inside of their buildings cold all year round. But she supposed that it was just another Winter custom that she didn’t understand.

Rey wished she could have had a member of her own cabinet in this carriage. It was just the carriage coach, her, the King, and his two guards squished into the seating behind theirs. Worse, it was as silent as a grave. All three of them were making a concentrated effort not to look at her, and she did the same. But the air between Rey and the King was thick, so awkward that it was unbearable.

Several more quiet minutes ticked by, the only sound coming from the clomping of the horses’ hooves. Rey felt like she had to say something or she would die. “It’s nice here today. I mean...it feels nice. To me. Lots of sun.” The stiffness in her voice was obvious even to her, and she was hoping--no,  _ praying _ \--that he wouldn’t find some way to twist what she’d said into some sort of insult.

But instead of doing that, after a few moments of excruciating pause where she was sure he wouldn’t answer, he said in a muted tone, “Yes. I...thought you might prefer that. While you’re here.”

Rey whipped her head around to stare at him in shock. He’d...made the weather nice. For her visit?

For her?

Seconds ticked by while she just stared at him, and he focused too hard on the paved road ahead of them. He was looking ahead of them so intensely that he was practically scowling.

The air between them was becoming awkward again. She had to say something. Still flummoxed, she turned back, facing the carriage driver’s back again. “Thank you. For doing that.”

King Winter only nodded, folding his arms and saying nothing. Conversation over. The carriage went back to being unbearably quiet.

~~~

The two of them, with their guards and companions, began to make their way through the Winter Kingdom. Rey revived while the King trailed behind her, making sure she didn’t get carried away and kept things within what Winters considered standard in their kingdom for spring time.

When they spoke, it was only to ask questions relevant to what they were doing. When the sun began to dip, and the atmosphere was getting too chilly for the Summers’ comfort, they left back to the Winter castle. 

The Summers packed into their transports to head back home after Rey informed the King that she would return in a week’s time to continue their work.

~~~

A week passed, and Rey returned to the Winter Kingdom.

This time she was less uncomfortable, and she was content to just have Lord Chewbacca at her side. King Winter seemed marginally less on edge too, seeing that she had less people with her.

They began their work again, slow and steady, and after a few hours of relative ease, King Winter spoke up suddenly from somewhere behind her.

“I’d like to have my first spring freeze tonight.”

Rey stiffened, her hand outstretched. She turned to look at him. “Tonight?”

King Winter leveled a slow blink at her. “Tonight,” he said again. “My first of fifteen. As you promised me.”

Rey barely resisted the urge to sigh. It was difficult. “That just seems...soon,” she said, holding back.

“I don’t see how,” he intoned.

“I just...I’ve only just started. The plants in my kingdom are too new. They may not survive.” Rey thought of all the hard work she’d put into tending to the Green Village, all of the foliage there that was breathing in new life with her magic. It wouldn’t stand a chance in an overnight freeze.

“But that’s your job, isn’t it? To bring them back to life when they perish.” The King’s gaze was unwavering and, Rey swore, condescending. “I’m not seeing what the problem is.”

Rey sucked her teeth, not able to argue his point. That  _ was _ her job. And it wasn’t like she could explain to him that she hated it when plants she conjured to life died--it was like they were an extension of herself, and she had failed them. She could feel their life energy leave when it happened. It was devastating. But it was useless to try to explain that to a Winter. Especially when  _ his _ job as King Winter was to bring death in nature onto their lands.

“Fine,” she muttered, turning back to her work. “Tonight, then.”

“Fine,” he replied, satisfied.

That night, temperatures dropped again. Rey could feel the exact moment King Winter conjured the freeze--it seeped through the walls of the Summer castle so deeply that she had to request the groundskeepers to activate the heaters. For the next week she was out and about in the kingdom, bitterly and painstakingly healing damaged and dying plant life.

~~~

A couple weeks passed, and Rey had completed her work in the nature preserve areas of the Winter Kingdom. Now all that was left was the villages. King Winter and his troupe of Knights escorted her through the streets of all the villages as she made her way through, barefoot, her own personal guard not far behind. Their villages were named rather predictably: Snowflake Village, Icicle Village, Black Ice Village. Etcetera, etcetera. 

But Winter houses were very unlike Summer ones--Summer houses were tall and colorful, and Winter ones were squat and in varying shades of gray, white and black. Most had stones and brick on their exteriors, and strong roofs meant to withstand the heaviest amounts of snow.

Being barefoot in the Winter Kingdom’s villages was the worst pain. All of their roads were paved with a special kind of concrete that was enchanted to always stay cooler than the ground. It was meant for the comfort of Winters, so that it would help them stay cool in the warmer seasons. Many Winters today walked on the pavement with thin-soled shoes or only socks as she warmed the air and they looked on at her with thinly-veiled resentment.

For Rey, however, setting foot on their roads was torture. It was a bad decision to do this barefoot here, because Winter land was just...different. She couldn’t feel the echoes of the Earth with her feet, so really it was pointless. But she was too stubborn and prideful to admit her mistake to her disdainful Winter companions, so instead she pressed on.

Her toes were gradually losing all feeling, and pinpricks of pain shot up her heels. She tried to ignore it, to push aside the sensation and concentrate on the waves of magic she released into their surroundings. But eventually, her reluctant companion noticed her pained expression.

“Are you all right?” King Winter asked her. Today he’d mostly walked just behind her instead of far behind, albeit with at least a yard between them.

Rey soldiered on, gritting her teeth as more of her magic exited her body, making her colder and weaker as she gave her warmth away. It was still only spring, after all. She wasn’t at her peak. “I’m just fine,” she strained out.

“You’re very clearly in pain,” he said bluntly. She could feel him staring over at her, but she didn’t meet his judgemental stare.

She said, voice clipped, “I’m not. I’m fine.” Her patience was wearing thin and his insistence wasn’t helping.

“Perhaps we should take a break. Continue this another day.” 

Finally she whipped around to glare at him primly. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”  _ He’d just love to have his kingdom’s transition delayed _ , she thought.  _ And then I would be behind. And it would just be another reason for Winters to look down on me. He’d relish in it.  _

The King stopped walking, taking in her expression. Then he looked away, lifting a brow. “It was just a suggestion. You seem to be having a hard time, that’s all.”

Rey stormed ahead. “Well, I’m not.”

King Winter kept up with her hurried pace with long strides. “Then I suppose I was mistaken.”

“Yes, you were.”

“So you don’t need a break.”

“No.”

“Nor do you need any help.”

Rey spun around again, snapping, “I  _ don’t need help _ .” She knew she was out of line, acting this way toward him in  _ his _ kingdom, but she couldn’t help herself. He was  _ seriously _ getting on her nerves. Even more than usual.

King Winter came to an abrupt stop, nearly running into her. His eyes narrowed, lip curled with contempt. “Good. Then I don’t have to help you.” His temper was flaring--his cold beckoned to her like a void.

Rey took a giant step from him, cringing away from yet another source of cold stinging her skin. “Perfect. Because I don’t want your help.”

“Thank you so much for informing me,” he droned. He walked around her in a wide arc, going to great lengths to avoid her proximity again.

“You’re welcome,” Rey yelled after him. 

Lord Chewbacca put a large hand on her arm, pulling her away to have a discussion. After lots of talking back and forth, it was Chewie who convinced her to continue this another day, when she wasn’t underdressed--her feet were turning  _ blue _ \--and tensions weren’t so high. 

He argued that this wasn’t good for the task that they needed to complete, nor was it good for relations for their kingdoms. She knew he was right, so after a terse, formal goodbye, they left.

Two days later, unforeseen by anybody, Rey received a package at the castle.

She unwrapped it, and sitting inside was a pair of carefully crafted, warmly lined shoes. There was a card inside, and on it was exquisite calligraphy that read:

> ‘ _ To Queen Summerday: _
> 
> _ The Winter Kingdom would like to express formal apologies for your last uncomfortable visit with this pair of shoes. Handmade by our most talented shoemaker, these should keep your feet warm during your next visit to our villages. Thank you for your hard work in bringing spring to our kingdom and maintaining peace between our peoples. _
> 
> _ The Winter Kingdom _ ’

“How strange that the entire kingdom would send you that,” Lady Rose remarked when Rey showed the shoes and note to her in Rey’s personal sitting room, in her private apartment of the castle. 

Rose often spent time with Rey here, after Rey extended an official invitation to her, of course. Rose coming here without an invitation from the Queen wasn’t allowed. Rey wished it were different--it felt strange to have to ask the guards to send for Rose everytime she wanted to hang out with her best friend. 

Rose continued, “That doesn’t seem like standard practice.”

“It’s not,” Rey said, frowning down in puzzlement at the shoes on her feet. “I don’t think it was the entire kingdom. That would be impossible.”

But the shoes were pretty--instead of using muted Winter colors, they were made with bright summer ones, turquoise and gold and fuschia. The lining was made of a material that was insulating, but flexible, and would allow her to still feel somewhat connected to Earth. They fit her perfectly. It was an incredibly thoughtful gesture.

“They’re really nice, though. Who do you think sent them?” Rose asked.

Shaking her head, Rey said, “I have no idea.”

She didn’t know  _ for sure _ \--but she had her suspicions. Suspicions that, when she remembered how King Winter had noticed that her feet were hurting, grew even stronger.

But there was no way that the King could be capable of such a kind gift, least of all for her. Why would he do such a thing? He wouldn’t, he didn’t even like her. He didn’t care about anyone.

They weren’t from him. They couldn’t be.

~~~

At last, Rey had reached the last village in the Winter Kingdom. With Lord Chewbacca, King Winter and his Knights looking on, she finally,  _ finally _ finished bringing on spring to the country of Dyad.

The royal photographer had come along with her in anticipation of the job being completed, and Rey posed next to King Winter for another ceremonial, for-the-official-records photograph, signifying the end of this year’s spring meetings.

They took another black-horse-drawn carriage to the Winter castle, and the ride was silent. The two were no longer forced to make nice for the sake of their kingdoms, and blissfully, from now until the Autumn Equinox, they could ignore each other.

After getting out of the carriage when they arrived at the castle, Rey was ready to pack back into her transport and return to her beloved kingdom. She was eager to continue making preparations for summer’s arrival--they’d already begun, of course. But before she could start to leave, King Winter’s voice stopped her.

“So, I suppose this is it,” he said from behind her.

Rey dropped her skirts, turning around to face him. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

The way he looked was peculiar--he stood meters away, spine straight and hands folded behind his back as usual, but his eyes were locked on her, features clouded. She didn’t understand why he looked that way, and she couldn’t read him either.

He paused for a long time, and his next words were stilted. “I still have seven more freezes before summer falls. As we agreed.”

“Indeed you do,” Rey said. “And you’re free to implement them as you please.”

Another long silence between them. Behind his back, King Winter’s hands fidgeted. Rey blinked at him.

“I wish you a fruitful summer,” the King blurted out, tone still rigidly formal. “And I’ll see you for the autumn negotiations.”

“Thank you. Yes, I’ll see you then.”

Yet another long pause. Rey couldn’t tell for certain if this was the most uncomfortable she’d ever felt around him. This seemed slightly more awkward than usual.

King Winter inclined his head at her in his usual abbreviated bow, she followed suit, and then she spun on her heel, walking away from him as quickly as she could. But she only made it a handful of hurried steps toward Lord Chewbacca and their transport before she heard him speak up one last time. 

“I’m glad they fit.”

Rey spun around, puzzled, not even fully sure he was talking to her. “Sorry? I didn’t quite catch that.”

The King was staring at her feet. “The shoes.” He looked back up at her, and the way he met her gaze was so strange. He appeared to be hesitant. But also sincere. “I hoped that they would fit you.”

Her breath caught. The shoes. They  _ were _ from him.

She nodded, dazed. “Yes,” she said. “They do. Thank you.”

King Winter kept his eyes on hers for one more second, inhaling deeply. He swallowed hard. Then without another word, he did an about-face and strode away toward the castle, his Knights in tow behind.

Rey watched him leave, and then Lord Chewbacca’s voice snapped her out of it. “Your Majesty?” She turned to him, and he held the door to the transport open for her.

On the journey back to her kingdom, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from her shoes, given to her with concern and care. Rey couldn’t help but start to think that King Winter wasn’t all that he seemed.

~~~

The Earth awakening from hibernation in spring was excruciating.

Ben could feel it--the stifling heat building steadily day by day, things blooming and sprouting everywhere. Things being born, waking up, crawling, slithering,  _ breathing _ , warming up the ground and humidifying the atmosphere. It made his skin itch. The sound of life around was at times overwhelming, constant noise which was intolerable to him compared to the blessed peace and quiet of the winter.

He wished he could calm it down, to quell it all to slumber once more, but his power was waning. His seasons were in the rearview, and his magic grew weaker as the days stretched longer and brighter. Humiliatingly enough, he hadn’t even managed to meet his agreed-upon quota of overnight freezes for this spring--he’d had five left before the majority of his magic decided to check out for the season. He would have to make up for it come autumn.

But there was nothing he could do now but ride this out once more, to tolerate the worst time of the year.

And to make sure his kingdom of snippy, frigid complainers didn’t implode on itself.

“Your Majesty, the freezing units in the Snowflake Village have gone out again,” Lord Mitaka informed him. For the third time this week.

Ben sighed, one of his hands gripping the armrest on his throne, the other fisted under his chin. “Send the mechanics out to them. And tell them to fix them right this time, or I’ll have to have a chat with them.”

“Yes, sir, Your Majesty,” said Mitaka, hurrying out of the throne room.

Ben slunk further into his throne. Large, elaborate, and made of solid ice, it was soothing to sit in. It sustained his cold, and his cold held it together, a symbiotic relationship. The throne room wasn’t exactly the most private of places in the castle, but he found that the throne’s comfort was enough of a solace when he was stressed. Even more so when he felt his magic getting stripped away from him.

It was headier these days. Summer was on its way, and the weaker he got, the stronger Queen Summerday became.

And lately, his role in his kingdom had been relegated to his least favorite part of the job: doing menial work around the castle and putting out small fires across the kingdom when he had to. He envied the Queen in her hectic, busy schedule with her season just around the corner. But he would never let her know that--that he envied her for any reason at all.

But he did.

He felt that there was a tiny piece of every Winter that envied the Summers just a bit. After all, nature itself favored warmth and life. Summer was seen as normal. The default. Winter was the outcast of existence. And with the Queen, this much was evident in the way that she was revered in her kingdom. The way that nature adored her.

Sudden and intrusive, the image returned to him of Queen Summerday in the Winter Forest, weeks ago, getting approached by a family of deer. The baby had clamored over to her, leapt into her arms and nuzzled her face. The doe and stag had circled her and gently nudged her with their noses. Ben had taken one curious step toward them, just to get a better view of the sight, and they’d skittered away. 

It made him feel like a monster.

But he’d seen this plenty of times before. Nature itself worshipped her, bowed at her feet. He was the harbinger of death and drove everything living away.

Why wouldn’t he be jealous?

It was why Winters had an inferiority complex, though none of them would admit that in ten thousand years. Because however Winters turned their noses up at Summers’ ways and acted as if they were barbaric and simple, they were still the ones that Earth loved the most.

And no matter how Ben tried to tell himself otherwise, that was also why the Queen would never stop being frustrating and fascinating to him.

She was his equal in every way, and that should have made him hate her. But for reasons he couldn’t fathom, he didn’t hate her. No matter how much he tried, he  _ couldn’t _ hate her. And he thought about her more than he probably should have.

But that was natural, he thought to himself. Their balance was a precarious one. It was important to focus on it, for the good of both their kingdoms. He was just doing his duty as King Winter, keeping her in mind. Thinking of her whenever he felt her heat when he stepped outside.

That was normal. No--it was necessary. And that was fine.

This dance between Summers and Winters had existed since the very beginning of time. It had always been difficult. Antagonistic. Sometimes even volatile. And it was his and the Queen’s duty to make sure they didn’t return to those volatile times. In some ways, they could even be considered a team.

So it was alright to think of her. And it was okay to send her a gift after an argument. To keep the peace between the kingdoms--that was all it was. 

They were a team, after all.

~~~

The day of the Summer Solstice, at the Winter Castle, a large bouquet waited in the foyer. It was addressed to him, with a card.

> ‘ _ To King Winter: _
> 
> _ Have the most joyous and sweetest of Summers! _
> 
> _ From the Summer Kingdom _ ’

The arrangement of flowers was enormous--growing from a single block of soil were flowers of all different kinds and colors, chaotic and exploding with fragrance and life. And that was how Ben knew she had conjured it herself.

“What should we do with it, sir?” Lord Armitage asked him, squinching his nose up at it in disgust. “It’s an eyesore. Should we destroy it?”

“No,” Ben said much too quickly, imagining Hux touching it with his bare frigid hands, the petals instantly shriveling up and dying. He stared at the floral arrangement, taking a moment to consider. “Have the servants plant it in the courtyard.”

Lord Armitage was flummoxed at the order. “ _ Plant? _ But--but sir--”

He interrupted, “It will be a show of friendship between our kingdoms. Do it.” Ben knew what he was going to say. ‘But Winters don’t own gardens!’ He knew the request was strange. He didn’t care. And he’d explain it to his grandmother later, who would inevitably question this decision.

Confused and maybe even a little disturbed, Lord Armitage agreed, leaving to go find the servants to pass along the order. As soon as he was gone, as soon as he was alone, Ben stepped toward the flowers.

They were loud in appearance and presence, teeming with the Queen’s energy. Hesitant, Ben touched a large red canna lily ever so lightly with his gloved hand. He was pleased to find that it didn’t wilt--his magic was too weak now to do any damage to it.

After making doubly sure that he was alone and that no one would see, Ben inched even closer. 

He leaned his face toward its open petals, closed his eyes, and inhaled.

~~~ 

The Summer Festival, which lasted for days and celebrated the arrival of summer, was in full swing in the Summer Kingdom.

The festival ran through the grass-lined streets of the Green Village, weaving around buildings and into yards and through alleyways. Vendors sold plump, ripe fruits, dishes made of crisp vegetables, and summer wines of all different kinds flowed. Flat wines and bubbly wines, strawberry wine and lychee wine, orange wine and dandelion wine, all sold by the glass, by the bottle, or by the barrel. 

Wine drunk Summers frolicked throughout the festival and beyond, dancing and laughing, hugging and kissing in hidden corners, creating mischief. Summer children raced toy sailboats in the lake, tumbled through plush patches of clovers, and chased each other with earthworms. 

When night fell, paper lanterns floated through the dark sky with Summer hopes and wishes tied to them, drifting up and away toward the stars.

After days of revelry and celebration, even Summers could party themselves out. Rey and her cabinet had spent days greeting the Summers of the kingdom, and eating and drinking and making merry with them.

Her gown for the Summer Solstice celebration was her most elaborate of all. With layers upon layers of rainbow tulle and equally colorful blooms of all kinds layered throughout her skirts and wrapped around her wrists and neck and the crown of her head, she was the very manifestation of summer itself. 

One hand lifting her gown’s skirts, the other grasping her glass of rose hip wine--her favorite--Rey snuck away from her floral palanquin and tipsy guards during the very last of the Solstice celebrations. She made her way into the nearby field, outside of the Green Village.

Dropping down to kneel onto the plush green grass, she laid down on her back, being careful not to crush her flowers. Buzzy and blissful, she stared up at the night sky, watching the last remaining lanterns drift far into the distance. She was so happy she wanted to cry.

And then she closed her eyes. Earth’s energy was so reckless, so strong, that it made her entire body course with fire. Earth loved her so much, and she loved the Earth back. It gave so much to her, spoiled her. Her magic would only be this powerful for a precious few months, and she needed to savor how this felt. 

So she did. She soaked it up. Lost herself inside it. She stilled, pressing her palms flat against the grass and digging her fingernails into the dirt. If she focused hard enough, she could feel the ground breathing with her. Lifting her up with every inhale, cradling her with care with every exhale.


	2. autumn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Here's part two!
> 
> There are seven new songs on the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7swlURZz6nMkqC3J7te4Hu?si=VVmONvIoT8ebi0LWx_TNSw) to go alongside this chapter.
> 
> Hope you enjoy. 🍁🍂
> 
> (Moodboard below by me.)

**pt. 2**

Summer passed. For one, it was over much too quick. For another, it wasn’t over quick enough.

Queen Summer had a wildly successful season in the Summer Kingdom. With many heat spells balanced with intoxicating thunderstorms and a plentiful bounty of fruits and vegetables, Summers spent their days relishing in their beloved season. The lake was full of swimmers all season long, the streets were busy with small transports, cyclers and horseback riders, and firework shows entertained at the end of every week. 

And as the season drew to a close, the people of the Summer Kingdom loved their queen even more. Of course, what deeply satisfied one kingdom inspired the ire of the other.

Needless to say, it had been an annoying season for King Winter.

Due to the unrelenting heat, Winters had suffered. Many couldn’t even stand to leave their homes and stayed indoors where their freezing units were, leading most to be crankier than usual and isolated. And then there were the other summer problems: the influx of bugs entering homes and ruining peaceful afternoons and evenings, and Winters being unable to regulate their temperatures with their magic and being vulnerable from relying on fiddly, breakable technology. 

And then there was the worst problem of all: the unrelenting, constant noise coming from the Summer Kingdom. Summers were always loud. It was in their DNA. But this season had been on another level entirely. Constant parties, constant fireworks, constant yelling, constant fighting. If there was one thing Winters could not _bear_ \--and Winters could not bear a lot of things--it was excessive noise.

And this had been a noisy summer.

The Winters were more than ready for the summer to end. So, naturally, they would take issue if at the next bi-annual royal meeting to make negotiations for the upcoming autumn, the Queen were to try to propose--

“An Old Wives’ Summer?” Lady Phasma exclaimed with an incredulous scoff. Her frosty blue eyes were larger than usual, nearly bulging out of her head. “Is that a joke?”

Queen Summer sat up straighter on her throne. Her modest gown today was a cool shade of lavender, covered in conjured lavender stalks. On the floral crown on her head made of purple echinacea flowers, idling on the blooms, were striking blue butterflies. They opened and closed their wings peacefully, content to stay near her even heat and their favorite flowers’ nectar.

“It’s not a joke, Lady Phasma,” said the Queen. “This is a formal proposal I’m filing here today for your consideration, as you can see from the papers given to all of you. They’re notarized.”

The Winter cabinet, along with King Winter, were indeed looking at the papers detailing Queen Summer’s proposal for a two-week Old Wives’ Summer extension. They were looking at them with varying levels of rage, disgust, and disbelief. 

The Queen had expected this reaction. But she was prepared to fight for this tooth and nail.

Even her cabinet members present, Rose, Finn, Poe, Jannah and Kaydel, stood their ground around her, lifting their chins with pride. They’d all ardently agreed with her proposal, and she knew the reason: this had been the best summer, and none of them wanted it to end so soon. The thought of summer, _their time_ , fading away and the dreary cold returning filled her with an instinctual sort of despair. She didn’t want the long days and strong sun to leave. Not just yet. 

And she knew it was the same for them and the rest of the Summers in the Kingdom. She wanted to give them more of this summer to remember. Just a little more.

But for the Winters, and especially for King Winter, a proposal like this was a piece of their own personal hell.

“Ridiculous,” Lord Mitaka intoned, curling his lip. “What an insult to us.”

“A disgrace,” Lady Phasma agreed.

“We cannot stand for this,” said Lord Enric Pryde.

“This is an outrage!” Lord Armitage cried, predictably. “Have you bloody Summers lost your minds? Your Majesty--”

King Winter held up a hand, cutting off the rest of Lord Armitage’s plead and silencing the rest of his cabinet. A moment ticked by as he met Queen Summer’s eyes. Then slowly, deliberately, he crumpled up the paper with her proposal on it, balling it up and tossing it to the stone floor. She watched him do it.

Then he leaned back in his throne, uttering one word. “No.”

“You didn’t read the whole thing,” the Queen replied evenly.

He shook his head, dismissing her. “Doesn’t matter. Because that’s not happening.”

Now taken off guard by how completely unyielding he was being, and taking offense to it, the Queen started, “You can’t decide--”

He cut her off. “I _can_ decide that on my own, because it’s my transitory season. Autumn belongs to me.”

The Queen _hated_ being interrupted, almost as much as she hated being underestimated. Frowning, she started again, indignant, “It belongs to _both_ of us--”

He cut her off _again._ “Wasn’t it you or one of your cabinet members who claimed last time that spring was yours?”

The Queen’s eyes darted to Lady Rose, who ducked her head. “Well, yes, but I didn’t--”

He interrupted _a third time._ “Just as much as spring is your transition time, autumn is mine. You made the final calls for the spring season, and I make the final calls for this one. And my answer to your proposal is no, Queen Summerday. You will not get an extension of your season into mine. You’ve had three months, and that’s enough.” 

The King was in fine form today. He’d had an excruciating off-season, and he’d had enough of this Summer nonsense. He would have what he wanted, and nothing less. 

He was being so _unreasonable._ Her blood was starting to turn hot in her veins. She cut in as soon as she could, speaking forcibly so he couldn’t interrupt her once more. “I haven’t even explained to you why I wanted one. I’d like to explain why.”

“It doesn’t matter why,” he said bluntly, cold face even colder.

The Queen gripped the rests of her throne with both hands. She was trying to reign in her emotions, to control her building anger, but it was getting harder to. “ _Excuse_ me?”

King Winter stated again, “Your reason does not matter to me, Queen Summerday, when you are attempting to impede upon the freedom and comfort of _my_ people. You said it yourself. We must strive for balance.”

She corrected him with a raised voice, for the millionth time, “Queen _Summer!_ ” Her butterflies burst into the air, escaping from her rapidly increasing heat and fluttering out of the Hall in a unanimous flurry.

Unperturbed, the King continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “And being selfish did not serve the former monarchs of the Summer Kingdom well, as history has taught us. The Summer Kingdom being selfish and trampling on the rights of Winters is what made the Winter Kingdom of the past hostile toward your people. Is that something that you want to happen again?”

“King Winter!” Queen Summer bellowed, and heat flared from her. The heat from her enraged cabinet, seeing the king speak to their queen in such a manner, compounded hers, spreading across the meeting floor. 

The Winter cabinet clamored and complained, backing away from the Summers’ combined heat. There was one lone butterfly that hadn’t flown away with the others--it dropped into the Queen’s lap, stiff and lifeless. Killed by her sudden heated rage. Rey caught it in her gloved hands, and she had to wrestle the horror down, along with her anger. She took several deep breaths, trying to gain back control.

Silently, she turned to Lady Rose and handed the departed creature to her. Rose accepted it with gentle cupped hands, looking down at it with sorrow.

King Winter had stopped his unrelenting verbal takedown, rigid, challenging her to continue with goading eyes.

She did, rising from her throne as she spoke only to him. “May I speak with His Majesty in private?”

The air stilled. The King and Queen normally weren’t allowed to have discussions without their cabinet present. That wasn’t how things were supposed to go. The negotiations were only meant to take place in full audience of their cabinet representatives, where everything would go onto the record by the typographer. The Queen knew this. The King knew this. Both cabinets knew this.

So it would be pertinent for the King to refuse the Queen’s request.

But he didn’t. Instead he rose from his throne, and the Queen led him toward the back of the building, where there were smaller private rooms, closed off from everything else. She chose one that seemed like an old office, with a dusty globe on a large oak desk, and dusty, yellowed and forgotten papers scattered about.

So quickly had this meeting soured. Things were never easy during negotiations, but things had never regressed so terribly. This was bad. And something needed to be done, before things spiraled further out of control.

“You won’t change my mind in here,” he droned to her as she shut the door, closing them in the private room. “And that would be against protocol, by the way. We’re technically breaking a _lot_ of rules right now. So don’t try to.” 

Folding his arms, he leaned against the wall across the room, the wall furthest from her. The room was already small, but his considerable height and overall imposing largeness made the place look even tinier, like an adult trying to fit inside of a child’s playhouse.

“I’m not trying to change your mind by coming in here. I know the rules.” Queen Summer turned around and leaned against the closed door, head held high. “I brought you in here because I would like an apology from you.” 

The reason she asked him to talk in private was because she knew he would’ve never apologized to her in front of his cabinet. He would never lose face in front of them in such a way. 

But she wanted to see what he’d say to her while they were alone, where no posturing was necessary. 

At what she’d said, all passiveness dropped off his face. Open bewilderment replaced it. “An _apology?_ For what?”

The Queen folded her arms too, and maintained her staid gaze on him so he’d see how serious she was about this. “For speaking over me.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “If anything, _you_ should be apologizing to _me_ for wasting my time with that ridiculous proposal!”

“Wasting your time?” she echoed. “I was just doing my job. Negotiations are a part of Peace Seasons, that’s why I was making some. I don’t understand why you’re so upset about it.”

Incredulous, he dropped his arms and leaned forward. “That wasn’t negotiating anything. You were shoving an extension down my throat and you _didn’t_ expect me to take that personally?”

She pushed away from the door, taking a step toward him. Her blood pressure was starting to rise again, along with the volume of her voice. “You disrespected me in front of my cabinet! _On the record!_ ”

He pushed off of the wall, voice raising too. “You insulted me, my season, _and_ my kingdom with a single document. I was defending our honor!”

“You were the ones who took it personally!” She tossed her hands into the air in frustration. “It was not an attack against you _or_ the Winter Kingdom, I was just thinking of my people!”

He cut in. “But what about me?”

Queen Summer stopped, her head jerking back with surprise. “What?” she blurted.

“You heard me.”

“I don’t--”

The King took a step toward her, and then another. He towered over her as he railed. “You said you were thinking of your people when you dreamed up this proposal of yours. But were you thinking about me? At all? Did you even stop to consider how such a decision of yours might make me look? What kind of position it would put me in?”

Her stomach sunk, and her mind reeled. For perhaps the first time, Queen Summer was speechless. “I...I didn’t--”

“No, of course you didn’t. Because you were acting selfishly.”

“Stop calling me that! I _have_ to put the needs of my people above anyone elses. That doesn’t make me selfish!”

“Just listen to me! There’s a _reason_ I brought up past Summer Monarchs, Queen Summerday. It wasn’t to disrespect you. It was to warn you.”

“ _Warn me?_ What do you mean, warn me? Is that a threat?” The Queen’s hands clenched into fists, and a wave of heat left her body, potent enough for him to feel it. He cringed as it hit him.

Despite his discomfort, he stepped even closer. His cold flared, sapping away the heat that radiated from her. He was shouting now. “The Winter Monarchs and Summer Monarchs of our histories were cruel to one another. They hated one another because all they did was take from each other, and step on each other. I don’t want you to be like past Summer Monarchs because--”

Queen Summer yelled back, cutting _him_ off this time, “Because you think you have any say in how I run my kingdom? Because you want to control me? Burn in hell!”

“No!” King Winter’s voice rose. “Because you’re better than cheap, selfish tactics! Because I don’t want to hate you! Because I _can’t_ hate you!”

They stopped. Shock at what he’d just said silenced them both. Staring at each other with big eyes, breath heaving, there was very little space between them. Hot and cold pushing against one another. Condensation formed on his face and on the walls around them, and steam drifted lazily from her skin, turning the room into a muggy, humid cave.

All anger had drained from the Queen’s body, instantly replaced with uncertainty. She asked, cautiously, “What do you mean you can’t?”

King Winter wasn’t King Winter at all. Trembling, with dark, frightened eyes, he looked like a man unraveled. The Queen’s heat waned and his cold took over. Their breaths fogged.

Suddenly he broke away, staggering backward. “No extension. Autumn will be wet and gradually colder by the day. That’s final.”

The Queen, still shocked at what had just transpired, didn’t say a word. She barely had enough time to rush out of his way before he swung the door open and left in a hurry. One of his ice cold shoulders bumped into her, stinging her skin through both their layers of clothing and making her jump away with a gasp. 

And then he was gone, taking his frigid air with him.

~~~

After the disastrous autumn negotiations, both parties were left shaken by their private, catalytic interaction.

Ben Amidala paced his quarters of the Winter Castle all evening and into the early morning, trying to tire himself of the racing in his heart, the stirring in some deep part of him that had awakened in the close proximity of Rey Summerday. With her radiant heat that called to something forgotten in him.

Rey Summerday was also kept awake for most of the night, tossing and turning, feverish. Thinking of a cool, refreshing breeze that softened her unrelenting burn. The chill that cut right down to her bones, raised goosebumps on her skin, and left her breathless.

~~~

At the Autumn Equinox Inauguration ceremony, the Queen was exhausted. The King was as well. Their restless nights had left them drained. But their teams of stylists and artists helped them prepare for the event and made them both look as if they’d had a full nights’ rest.

Queen Summer entered the Great Hall late, on leisurely Summer time as usual. They saw one another at the same time. Their eyes locked. 

The Queen had donned her most impressive autumn presentation to date: a ground-grazing maroon gown surrounded in sunflowers, cornflowers, wheat stalks, and chrysanthemums in all shades, with a floral crown made of the same to match, and thin strands of wheat threaded through the intricate braid down her back. Elbow-length gloves made of the same maroon lace as her dress covered half her arms, and her lips were red, well contrasted against the freckled bronze her skin had tanned to over the months of her season.

As for the King, deep plums were paired with his usual black formal clothes: a plum tie, and a plum waistcoat embroidered with black thread, over a black shirt and under a black jacket, black velvet cloak that draped elegantly over his wide shoulders and over the ground behind him. Black slacks, black boots, plum gloves. And an exquisite ice crown, the best yet: large, thick, with tall icicle spikes in varying lengths that shot heavenward.

Everything that had happened the evening before hung palpably between them.

After a mutual inclination of their heads in greeting, they waited for the ceremony to start by the doors with their guards some ways behind, shrouded in heavy, expectant silence. Neither wanted to be the first to speak.

Rey kept her eyes ahead, a concentrated effort not to look at him. Ben did the opposite--staring at her openly. Winter colors really suited her, he thought. As did that color painted on her lips. A marked difference from her usual pink lips. She looked...womanly.

He thought of the way she’d shouted at him in that tiny room, steaming, proud. Formidable and striking at once. Like belladonna.

The ceremony began, and they walked out to greet their kingdoms on the front steps of the Great Hall. 

They turned to each other. Ben’s eyes raked up Rey’s whole body--while Rey _watched_. She cleared her throat pointedly, and his eyes jumped back up to hers, face twitching with perhaps...embarrassment? It was gone as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Rey questioning her own vision.

She held out her hand, and he followed suit. When their gloved hands touched, palm to palm, Rey swallowed. Ben’s gaze fell to her throat briefly, watching the movement. 

Rey reached for her power--it was harder now. How could it be getting weaker already? She summoned it and pushed it toward his hand. Ben summoned his magic, and for him, it was like stretching a worn rubber band, easier than it had been to use his abilities in months.

Their magic met, cold and hot melding tepid. Then their eyes locked with intensity. There it was--this balance, this bond, this _thing_ that only they could do together. This thing that belonged to only them.

Together they released that balance high into the sky with a blast, and it was done. The very first step of bringing autumn to Dyad was complete.

Stepping away, Rey shook out her hand, stretching the muscles in her arm. Her eyes returned to him again. She couldn’t seem to help it. 

He did look very nice. He always looked put together, but especially now. Maybe it was the colors he wore. Wearing a bit of color really did him some favors. That crown did, too. And his hair was different. What did he do differently with his hair? It was looser. Wilder. He looked less rigid this way.

“Queen Summer?”

Rey snapped out of it. “Yes?”

The royal photographer held up his huge, heavy camera. “The photograph?”

“Oh, yes! Right. Of course!” She returned to Ben’s side. Ben held his hand out for her to take, and she did.

They did their handshake pose and took the photo. After the fifteen seconds, Ben’s hand lingered, still touching hers. Rey glanced up at him. He was already looking at her. Again. Guilty at getting caught, his eyes flickered away. Flustered, Rey looked away too, dropping her hand away from his.

She started to leave--the same time he tried to leave. They bumped into each other. ”Oh! Sorry,” she blurted, backing up clumsily, stumbling on the back of her gown and then reaching down to free her skirts with both hands.

Ben took a step back too, holding up a hand as if to steady her. “Don’t be.” There was something in his tone that made Rey look up at him again. And then she saw it, only partially hidden there on his face--something that looked very much like sadness. Or longing.

Her breath caught in her throat. She opened her mouth to say something, though she didn’t know what. Maybe to apologize for the night before. Or to ask if he was all right. Patient, he waited, gazing at her, also wanting to say something but also not knowing what he wanted to say.

Then Lord Armitage and Lady Phasma approached him with his guards, King Winter turned away from her with slow reluctance, and Queen Summer turned away too, returning to Lord Chewbacca’s side and leaving with the rest of her guards. And the moment passed.

The ceremony was over. Time moved forward.

~~~

Autumn duties began, and the strange events surrounding the Autumn Equinox were mostly forgotten about.

Surely, it had all been in Rey’s imagination. The strange, fluttery tension between the two of them. The awkwardness that felt more like nervousness at each other’s presence than from wanting to be anywhere else. Obviously it had been a consequence of her terrible night’s rest--her mind playing tricks on her.

But still, as the days cooled, Rey couldn’t help but wonder about King Winter, and think about the mysteries that he kept locked inside him.

Rey telling herself that she had imagined things only worked for so long, because soon, she began normal bi-seasonal activities with King Winter. Though she didn’t think it possible, things actually worsened.

Tensions between them were higher than ever.

This was apparent to Rey on the first day of King Winter’s visit to the Summer Kingdom. She left the front doors of the Summer Castle to greet him inside the front gates. He was there along with three of his Knights beside the strange, archaic carriage drawn by dark horses. 

His gaze locked on her searingly for maybe three seconds. And then he avoided looking directly at her for the rest of the day, more sullen than usual.

Rey tried not to look at him, either, but she couldn’t help it. As they traveled through the Sun Village and he turned the green foliage all around to oranges and yellows and reds with brusque waves of his hands, she couldn’t help but watch. 

In black from chin to toe again, the top section of his hair was braided back from his face and held in place with his matching plaited ice crown, so his hair wouldn’t get in his eyes. He looked good among the autumn colors--perhaps even more alive. Almost glowing. Indeed, the autumn looked better on the King more than his own season did. She wondered why.

She also wondered why she had only just realized, or maybe saw with new eyes, the way that they walked side-by-side now. Or maybe it was just that she’d finally noticed how she had taken for granted how nice this felt. Instead of being worried about image and expectation and upholding ranks, as she did with everyone else, it was nice to be around someone that she could walk next to. As an equal.

She didn’t know what to say to him, and knew that any attempts to start conversation would be futile. When he worked, he had total tunnel vision to complete his tasks, so she didn’t try. She only sparingly conjured some autumn flora for the villagers to enjoy before the veil of winter snuffed out everything. 

When their business in the Sun Village was complete hours later, he muttered a curt goodbye before he left, mentioning he would return the following week. 

Despite the shortness of his first visit, one thing was now very obvious to Rey: though she didn’t know how, things between her and King Winter had changed. 

But she had no name to attach to what it had become. 

~~~

“King Winter?” Rey blurted out the following week, interrupting a mutual silence that had lasted for the past hour as they worked in the Petal Village.

King Winter was just as surprised by her sudden outburst as she was. He turned, eyebrows raised, to glance at her. “Yes, Queen Summerday?”

He was actually looking at her again. Miracle of miracles. It gave her such relief that she didn’t even mind that he still was addressing her incorrectly. It didn’t last long, though. When their eyes met, he blinked rapidly, then turned back around.

“Are you still angry about the extension proposal?” she asked his back.

The muscles in his back and shoulders stiffened. His hands, clasped at the small of his back, twitched. “No,” he said after a long pause. “I’m not. Not anymore.”

_Then why won’t you talk to me?_ Rey’s mind screamed. The words almost came out of her mouth. She refused to let them escape. Instead, she wanted to say something else. “I’ve been thinking about what you said. Before.” She knew this was risky. Neither of them had spoken of the events of the eve of the Equinox. It felt taboo to even say aloud.

King Winter stood very still for some moments. Then, when his head turned slightly in her direction, she saw a frown on his face. “Have you?”

“Yes,” she said. “While I still don’t appreciate the way you treated me in the meeting, what you said after that...you were right. It was selfish of me. Not to consider your position during the autumn. And it was disrespectful. It’s your introductory season, and I should have been thinking of the Winter people, too. There needs to be proper balance between us.” She paused. “So, I’m sorry.”

King Winter’s eyes were dropped to the ground, and the frown had faded. His broad shoulders lifted with a long, deep breath. Then, his voice so quiet it was almost a whisper, he said, “I’m sorry I disrespected you.”

There was a pinch in Rey’s chest. He was apologizing, too? She didn’t realize how badly she’d been wanting one until he said it.

“I know I can be rude. It’s just a first instinct for me, sometimes. To lash out. It’s from my upbringing.” His eyes lifted, finally meeting hers again. They were soft. “But you didn’t deserve it. I was out of line. It won’t happen again. And I’d...like to ask for your forgiveness.”

Rey maintained his gaze. Then she smiled, small but true. “I forgive you.”

He didn’t return her smile, though she hadn’t expected him to anyway--but the tension in his shoulders released, and the light on his face changed. After a long time, he looked away again.

His unexpected sincerity touched her.

Though the tension didn’t completely go away between the two of them, Rey couldn’t help but notice that King Winter’s countenance around her had improved. He looked the tiniest bit less cagey and brooding, at least. And that was enough for now.

It was a start.

~~~

A few weeks later, Ben was busy working amidst the Summer Green Village--the most tedious Summer village of all.

The entire village was covered in flora. It was wall-to-wall green, from vine covered buildings to the plush grass roads to home gardens, to the elaborate and vast Kingdom Garden in the epicenter of it all. Transforming this part of the kingdom was always Ben’s least favorite part, because it took so long.

Though at least he had company.

“So, what are the rest of your autumn plans, King Winter?” Queen Summerday asked him. She was kneeling on the ground, touching her palms to the soil. She was filling the space where the summer harvest had been cleared up with pumpkin and squash plants. Their large leaves sprouted up, vines with fully-grown flowers emerging. Gourds would start growing there within the next few days, just in time for a plentiful harvest that would last the whole winter for both kingdoms. 

The gourds’ purpose, however, were different in each. As well as using them in stews and soups, Winters carved them for autumn festivals and used them as decorations. As far as Ben knew, Summers just ate them raw, seeds and all. Animals.

Last week, she had finished setting up the corn field, which would be harvested for both kingdoms as well, and then turned into a corn maze for the children.

“Plans?” Ben repeated blankly, not understanding what she’d meant at all.

She lifted one of her hands, where a particularly large pumpkin plant rose up underneath. “You know. What are you going to do to celebrate finishing the transition?”

“Oh.” Celebrate. It never even occurred to him that something like this was worth celebrating over. “I...don’t really do that. I suppose I’ll just get onto meetings about the upcoming winter.” That was all that was necessary. There were many preparations to make, and so few weeks to do them in.

“Hmm.” She sounded as if she heartily disapproved. Such a Summer. Not _everything_ needed a party.

They settled into the rhythm of working again as Ben transformed the leaves on the apple and plum trees in the orchards on the far end of the garden, lulling the chlorophyll inside their cells to a gentle sleep. He hadn’t realized that Queen Summerday had followed him as he worked until she spoke up when he’d finished with the trees, almost an hour later.

“That settles it,” she said suddenly, making him startle. “We’ll celebrate together.”

Gathering himself, Ben faced her, blinking. “I beg your pardon?”

Placing her hands on her hips, she lifted her chin as she said, “I, Queen Summer, cordially invite you, King Winter, to the Summer Castle for an end-of-transition celebration.”

He stared at her, puzzled, not knowing what to say to that. “Um. I don’t think--”

She cut off whatever excuse he’d been about to give her. “You deserve it. You’ve been working hard. You deserve to have a nice afternoon off.” She grinned at him, and not in a cordial way. It was almost teasing. “Just come. Okay?”

Ben weighed his options. He could refuse, hole himself up in his castle and work, and not just disappoint her but also risk putting strain between their kingdoms again. Or he could have an afternoon off for once. He shifted his weight between his feet, thinking. Flexed the joints in his tired hands, thought some more.

Then he turned back to her. “When?”

Relief flooded her face. She knew she had him now. “This Saturday. Noon. Or do you have a meeting that day?”

“I don’t,” he said with reluctance.

She nodded definitively. It was settled. “Then I’ll see you then.”

He nodded, too. “See you then.”

~~~

Saturday, noon, Ben arrived at the Summer Castle.

Instead of his usual ensemble of Knights, he only had one with him today. He figured it wasn’t necessary to come with his full guard. He wasn’t sure this get together of theirs was altogether necessary, either, but that didn’t really matter. He’d come anyway.

Queen Summerday came out of her castle a few minutes later with her usual guard, Lord Chewbacca, and greeted him. “Welcome back, King Winter.” 

In Winter colors again, she’d donned a deep green, knee length dress with a crown made of dahlias in varying shades of purple. She came to a stop in front of him, curtseying formally. It surprised him. Normally she could hardly bear to bow her head at him when they exchanged greetings.

He bowed deeper than he normally did in return. “Thank you for inviting me,” he said. “Shall we go inside?”

“Actually,” she said with a secretive smile, “our festivities won’t be inside the castle today. They’ll be somewhere else.” Ben frowned, suspicious. “You’ll see,” she said in reply to his unasked question. Then she turned on her heel. “Follow me.”

He did. She led them around the mighty, tan west wall of the castle, through a narrow bit of space, and out into the large courtyard. Just like the rest of the Summer Kingdom, it was landscaped thoroughly. Ben was sure that during summer this place had been as green as everywhere else in the kingdom. Now, thanks to his magic spreading across the lands, it was full of yellows and rusts and burgundies. There were some autumn flora in select areas, like a neat line of tall sunflowers some ways away, which would soon shrivel up with the colder nights.

In the middle of it all, a small picnic table was set up with a tablecloth and what looked like a large meal, waiting for them.

Suddenly, Queen Summerday stopped, turning to their respective guards. “Would you two mind waiting on the edge of the courtyard here? This is a private meeting between the King and I.” She looked at Chewbacca in particular. “I promise we’ll save some leftovers.” 

Lord Chewbacca grumbled at her good-naturedly, and she turned back to Ben. “I hope you’re hungry.”

They sat at the picnic table together. Alone. And for reasons Ben did not fully grasp, he was feeling antsy. So he focused on the food in front of them, readily filling the plate that she handed to him when she told him to help himself. It was made of delicate china embossed with, of course, a floral patterned design.

“You prepared a lot for this,” Ben couldn’t help but comment. He took in all of the dishes laid out for them. Long and lightweight breads instead of the stockier, heavier breads he was used to in his kingdom, lean meats, bowls of whole fruit, bowls of various fruit and vegetable salads, a platter with a large variety of high quality cheeses. Three bottles of wine--when she saw him eyeing the bottle of pomegranate Winter wine with interest, she poured him a generous glass herself.

“I did,” she answered, handing him the glass. Her bare hand brushed his glove, and he stiffened, because he had not noticed her lack of gloves until that very moment. She looked at him, not missing the movement. “It means a lot to me that you came today.”

He absorbed this. Why did she want him to come here so badly? Why did this mean so much to her? 

And most importantly, why couldn’t he stop staring at her bare hands? This couldn’t possibly be the first time he had seen her with no gloves on. Could it? Her fingers were long and elegant, her wrists so slight that Ben could easily wrap his pointer finger and thumb completely around them. He took a thick sip of his wine.

For some time, the two of them sat and ate in silence, though it wasn’t uncomfortable. Ben didn’t know when, but at some point, the silence between them had become companionable. Perhaps it was the wine. Maybe with the aid of it, the need to force small talk had gone away, thinning out the thick layer of tension in their interactions. Regardless, they ate lunch together and enjoyed their surroundings. 

Then, the Queen drained the rest of her glass of rose hip wine and said out of the blue, “King Winter. May I ask you something?”

“Yes,” he said despite his wariness.

She asked, face free of judgement, “Why do you always address me as ‘Queen Summerday’, instead of my proper title?” She rushed to add, “I mean no disrespect by asking. I’m only curious.”

It had always seemed like something she’d objected to. Ben answered her straightforwardly, “Traditionally, Winters call each other by their last names. For royals, it’s usually the same.” Now _he_ was curious. He asked, squinting, “Is that considered unacceptable in the Summer Kingdom?”

The Queen tilted her head, seemingly trying to think of how to word her response. “Well...it’s just considered strange. It’s not something we normally do. With royals, some consider that insulting.”

Ben’s stomach plummeted at this revelation. He thought of the numerous times he had called her that in meetings. And in front of her _cabinet_. “...That’s why you always correct me.”

“Yes.”

No wonder she had always been so defensive when they spoke. He was constantly insulting her, and he’d had no idea. “It was not my intent to insult you.”

The Queen shook her head, grinning again. “It’s all right. I understand now. I suppose it was a bit of culture shock between us. You can call me that, if you want to.” She paused, popping a black grape into her mouth. “Or...you could call me Rey.”

Ben looked up from his plate again, startled. “...Really?” Royals calling one another by their first names, particularly royals from opposing kingdoms, was an impertinence.

Or at least it used to be. In an antiquated, bygone era. 

She clarified, “When we’re alone, I mean. I guess it’s not necessary to use formal titles and all the pageantry when it’s just us.” She paused again, heavily this time. “Unless that makes you uncomfortable.”

She had a solid point. And he didn’t disagree with it. For once. “No,” he said, surprised to hear it leave his mouth. “Not at all.”

She further explained, shifting in her seat uneasily, “I’d just...I would like to be less formal with you. I’d like there to be less barriers between us. We are the rulers of this country, you know. Both of us.” She kept going, starting to babble from nerves. “And I think it would be nice for us to have something easier between us than those who came before us. Something less uncomfortable. Maybe even...companionable. It’s strange of me, I know. But I’d understand if you didn’t want--”

“Ben.” It burst from him with no explanation attached to it.

She blinked at him. “Huh?”

“You may call me Ben,” he offered curtly. “If you’d like.”

She was visibly relieved. “Yes. I would like that.” She smiled. “Ben.”

And when his mouth twitched the slightest bit upward, he told himself it was the wine getting to him. “Rey.”

~~~

The autumn drew on. And as the autumn days passed, the leaves weren’t the only change.

Autumn changed Queen Summer to Rey, and King Winter to Ben.

Ben began to visit the Summer Kingdom more often--first to come check on the squash harvest and make sure the colorful foliage was holding up. At least, that was what he told himself he was doing. But then the facade dropped away, and he was visiting just to keep Rey company as her magic faded and left her feeling weaker.

_Informally_ . One might even call it _hanging out_.

“What does your magic feel like?” Rey asked him one day as they strolled through the great Garden Sector.

Ben frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what does it feel like to use it?” she elaborated. “Mine feels hot and tingly, sometimes scalding hot, in the summer. Like rays of sun in my veins.”

“Mine feels cold. Very cold. Sometimes it pinches and stings.”

“Do you ever think of what it feels like when we combine our powers?” Her question sounded innocent enough. But when he glanced at her, there was a darkness in her eyes. Her pupils were huge and hypnotizing. “That crazy feeling?”

Ben knew exactly what she was talking about--he’d felt it every single time they had done a spring and autumn ceremony together. And alone, during their squabble, in that room in the Great Hall. Even just thinking of it filled his stomach with a restless, squirmy sensation, made his heart feel like it would explode. 

But instead he played dumb, shaking his head and hoping she couldn’t see how much her question had rattled him. “What feeling?”

She sighed, disappointed, breaking their gaze. “Nevermind. It’s nothing.” Something caught her attention, and the subject was dropped. 

~~~

Something that Rey was especially fond of was picnics. Ben had finally begun to catch onto this when they were having their third out in the Summer hills.

“You do this often, don’t you?” He asked her as she spread jelly on a bread roll for him. He’d started doing it himself, but she’d taken it, annoyed that he apparently wasn’t using enough of her favorite apricot spread.

“Do what?”

“Have picnics.”

Satisfied with her work, she handed his roll back to him. “Of course. I love them.”

Ben took a bite. It was pretty good, he had to admit. “What’s so good about it? It’s just eating outside.”

Rey snorted. “That’s what makes it so great.”

“What about insects?”

“They don’t bother me.”

Ben remembered the butterflies that had rested on her head during the autumn negotiations. Of course, he should have known. Even insects loved her. They wouldn’t dare get near Queen Summer’s food.

“Well, what else do you like about it?”

Rey paused, thinking. “I like enjoying the surroundings. The connection. Connecting to everything living around me as I eat. Just...in an enjoying life sort of way. If that makes sense.”

Ben considered it. “It does make sense, actually.”

“Plus it’s something I can’t normally do in the winter. So I try to enjoy it while I can.” Rey finished eating her sandwich, then brushed her hands together and said suddenly, “May I ask you something?”

He was getting used to her questions now. “You may,” he said.

“Why do Winters always wear funeral colors to spring ceremonies?”

Ben nearly choked on what he was chewing. He definitely hadn’t expected _that_ question. “I’m sorry?”

“I always notice that your people wear clothes like they’re going to a funeral when they attend spring events. I understand that the transition to spring must be an unpleasant one for Winters, but I don’t understand the way that they outwardly mourn it. Frankly, it’s a little rude.”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or to be offended. Mostly, he wanted to laugh. He resisted the urge. Instead, he answered after a very long pause, “...Winters don’t wear dark colors to funerals, Rey.”

Now Rey was startled. “Oh. Really?”

“Traditionally, Winters wear white to funerals. Because it’s the color of ice, of snow. And because we bury our dead in blocks of ice.” Ben continued, patiently, “Winters wear dark colors because those are the colors we like. And wearing those colors to celebrations is just Winters’ own way of celebrating. Because that’s how it works in our culture.”

Mortification was all over Rey. She covered her red cheeks with her hands. “Oh, no. I had no idea. All this time.”

“It’s okay,” Ben tried to reassure her, seeing how embarrassed she was. He’d made a cultural gaffe with her before, after all.

“No, it’s not.” Rey straightened. “It was ignorant of me, and I could have figured that out myself. Instead of making assumptions and being judgmental. It was disrespectful. I’m very sorry.”

He appreciated her apology. “You’re forgiven.”

She shook her head, still aghast. “It wouldn’t be the first time, either. I’ve been wrong about a lot of things.” She took a long, deep breath and sighed. “I may be a queen, but there’s still so much for me to learn.”

“That’s what matters. Wanting to learn. Then you’re leagues ahead of those who think they know it all.” Nodding, he admitted, “I’m a king and I don’t know everything, either. I think we both have a lot to learn.”

“Then I’ll try harder. To understand you.” Rey’s grin was that peculiar one--the shy, genuine one that she only showed to him when they were completely alone. Somehow, Ben got the sense that she wasn’t just talking about understanding the Winter people better, that she was also talking about _him_. 

It made something in Ben’s chest squeeze unmercifully.

And so he replied, “So will I. That’s a promise.”

They finished their picnic. And as they left the fields, Rey drew closer to his side. Subtly, as if she hadn’t wanted him to notice.

He had.

~~~

The nights and days grew colder but still they spent time together. It was taboo, royals spending this much time together outside of official sanctioned activities. Villagers in their kingdoms began to gossip about it, wondering why they were seen together so often.

At some point, that had ceased to matter to them.

And when the two of them weren’t together, they were on each other’s minds. Constantly.

~~~

One day, during one of their gatherings in the Winter Forest, it occurred to Ben that he had not nearly achieved the weather quota he had planned for this season. 

He had been so caught up in this strangeness between him and Rey that he hadn’t even _thought_ of it. And if he didn’t do anything about it soon, he’d start receiving complaints from his people _and_ his cabinet about the weather not being cold and wet, like he’d said.

So he turned to Rey. “I’d like it to rain for the next few days. I need to conjure a big storm.” He held up his hand. “Will you assist me?” He needed her assistance to make cold rain and sleet. He could conjure snowstorms with ease, but he needed her help to make it slightly less cold, so the raindrops wouldn’t solidify.

“Of course. It might take me a while, though. My magic is getting so thin.”

Ben knew the feeling, remembering how weakened he felt by the end of spring. “That’s all right. We can take all the time that you need.”

“Could we sit?” She wandered over to a dry patch of ground, and Ben followed her as she sat. He sat next to her.

He held out his hand, waiting to take hers.

“Wait,” she said. “I’m going to take off my glove, to give me a little oomph. Could you take off yours, too? It’ll be more effective.” She took off her own glove as she asked.

His eyes locked onto her bare hand. After only a moment’s hesitation, he took off his. He wanted to help her out in any way he could.

She noticed his hesitation. “We don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable.”

It wasn’t _discomfort_ that had made Ben pause. “No, I’m fine with it,” he reassured her.

Rey nodded, holding her hand out and waiting for him to meet her halfway. Slow, careful, Ben lifted his hand. And as gently as he could muster, he met her fingertips with hers. A jolt between their fingers made both of them pull back immediately.

Ben inhaled sharply. Rey said, “Whoa.”

They had felt each other’s powers before, of course, during the Spring and Autumn Equinox ceremonies. But that was only when their gloves were on, and the magic that met was always muted. This was their power combining with no barriers, and it had felt like static shock.

“You’re all right?” Ben asked.

“I’m fine! I just...wasn’t expecting that.”

“Me either.” They exchanged sheepish looks, feeling a bit silly at how rattled they were. Ben held out his hand. “Should we try again?”

Rey nodded. She met his hand this time, touching their fingertips together again. Another jolt, but this time they’d been expecting it. 

They held their fingers together, Ben focused his energy on conjuring a storm, and they waited. He didn’t feel her magic the way he usually did when they did this, so Ben was wary. Heavy clouds gathered in the skies overhead. 

Nothing happened at first--then a few minutes later, snow began to quietly drift down from the sky. Whoops.

“Oh no,” Rey said, frustrated, taking her hand away from Ben’s. “It didn’t work. My magic is so weak.”

“That’s all right,” Ben rushed to assure her. “It’s late in the season for you. It wasn’t fair of me to ask. Let’s forget about it.” 

He was worried this weather would be too painful for her to endure. He’d just been about to suggest that she go home so that she could warm up, when her face changed, becoming resolute. “No,” she said. “I want to try again.”

He didn’t want her to strain herself. “Rey…”

“Just one more time. I got an idea. Let me try something.” Hand up. She goaded, “Come on!”

Stubborn as she was, he knew he wouldn’t win this. He gave in, moving his hand toward hers again. But instead of meeting his hand, she grabbed it hastily in hers. The resulting jolt, stronger again with more skin contact, made him jump. She scooted so that she faced him and came closer, sitting so close that their legs pressed together.

Taken off guard, Ben began, “What are you--”

“Just trust me,” she said, looking up at him earnestly. “Do you trust me?”

It was a question filled with the weight of hundreds of years of ancestors before them, their ancestors that despised each other. But the answer came out so easily that it surprised them both. “Of course I do.”

“Then just relax and let me try this. Okay?”

Ben nodded.

With their close proximity, Ben could smell her perfume. Like honeysuckles, and...earth? Wait, that wasn’t perfume. That was just _her_. Oh, no. She smelled amazing.

Rey cradled the back of Ben’s hand with hers, turning it over so it faced palm up. Her skin was soft and warm. Very carefully, she reached over with her other, gloveless hand.

She ran the tip of one finger along the lines of his palm, whisper light. It was all she did, and it was instantaneous--heat rippled through his hand and into his arm. Just as instantly, potent desire hit Ben like a wall. He bit the inside of his cheek hard in his effort not to cry out in pleasure.

Rey froze. “Am I hurting you?” 

Ben attempted to gather the pieces of his shattered mind together to answer her. “N-No. No. You’re not.”

“You’re not in pain?”

“No.” Ben’s pulse raced, heart thudding in his chest. Blood rushed in his ears. “Please. Continue.” _Please don’t stop_ , was what he really wanted to say. 

Hesitant, Rey resumed, brushing her fingertip across his palm like a paintbrush. He squeezed his eyes shut. Heat swept through him again, hitting him anew, tingles filling his chest, and his breathing became labored.

“R-Rey,” it fell from his mouth before he could stop it.

She leaned into him. “Shh. Our guards might hear.”

Ben’s eyes snapped back open. That’s right. Their guards. Standing just out of earshot and out of view, but keeping watch for anyone that might show up and try to crowd them. They could catch them doing this, at any moment.

But that didn’t stop them from continuing.

Rey said into his ear, “Does it feel good?”

Ben made himself keep quiet, nodding weakly.

When she ran all of her fingers up his palm and along his fingers, his jaw slackened. Then she weaved their fingers and sandwiched his hand between both of hers in a vice grip. This time her magic crackled against his. Ben shuddered uncontrollably. This felt so decadent that Ben thought he might die.

How could something like this, holding _hands_ , feel so sinful?

Perhaps because they shouldn’t have been. Because what they were doing now felt a little hedonistic, a little wrong--especially if they had to hide it from their guards, and any other intruding eyes. And it was certainly not appropriate behavior for two monarchs to engage in.

Clearly what they were doing had nothing to do with the weather anymore, though it was affected all the same. Their powers merged, transforming the light snow drifting down on them to an instantaneous, pouring rain. 

With a clap of thunder, they were both brought back to their senses, realizing what they had been doing.

Rey was the first to pull her hands from his, scooting away. She let out a shaky laugh. “We did it.” Rain had quickly soaked her gown, weighing it down, and she started to shiver.

He wished he had something to loan her to stave off the cold. But anything of his would just make her colder. “Yes.” Ben stood from the ground, pulling his glove back on and clearing his throat. “Yes, we did.”

What _was_ that? What had just happened between them? What had come over them?

The sound of rain hitting the forest floor and the trees above was the only sound. Lord Chewbacca rushed to his Queen’s side, opening an umbrella for her. His rejoining them made the air between them even more uneasy. 

It might have been Ben’s imagination, but he swore that Rey looked guilty. He didn’t know _what_ he felt. Shame? Shock? Anxiety? Confusion? Longing?

It was all too much to bear, so Ben said a rushed goodbye, and they parted ways.

Their deluge lasted for days, soaking both kingdoms.

~~~

In the following weeks, Rey and Ben avoided each other. They had their individual kingdom’s autumn activities to focus on, along with their daily duties. It kept them both busy, at least on the outside.

But inside them both was turmoil. The afternoon they’d held hands in the Winter Forest weighed heavy on them. To their credit, they tried not to let their thoughts dwell on the incident. But trying to avoid thinking of something only made it grow bigger and bigger, until it was all they could think about.

Despite that, they had their responsibilities, and they fulfilled them, not letting their inner chaos affect their jobs.

As always, the autumn was too fleeting, and it came to an end. The corn maze closed, the last pumpkins were harvested, the last bit of bright color of the season turned brown. And nature slept.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for part 3! If you like this story so far, comments and kudos are so dearly appreciated.
> 
> PS: Happy Halloween! 🎃


	3. winter solstice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks so much for your response to the last part, so glad you liked it. 💕
> 
> There are five new songs on the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7swlURZz6nMkqC3J7te4Hu?si=VVmONvIoT8ebi0LWx_TNSw) to go alongside this chapter.
> 
> I decided to split winter into two separate parts, so here's the first part of winter! This part is where the M rating comes into play. Hope you enjoy! 🧊❄⛄
> 
> (Moodboard below by me.)

**pt. 3**

For Ben Amidala, this Winter Solstice showed up like an unwelcome foe.

Regardless, the Winter Kingdom celebrated the arrival of their time around him, and he was obligated to participate.

The grand Winter Solstice festival, the Winter Ball, was in full swing. The Ball was basically three events in one: the Great Feast, the Ball, and the Gift Exchange. Winters from all over came to the Winter Castle for the festivities, which had been making preparations for weeks leading up to the solstice. 

For weeks the castle, inside and out, had been painstakingly decorated with long garlands of evergreen, winding strings of small electric lights, icicles, and extravagant, larger-than-life ice sculptures. 

The newest additions to the Winter Solstice decorations were the brand new pine trees gifted by the Summer Kingdom, conjured and grown on their lands during their season and sent over to the Winter Kingdom as a well-wishing for their season ahead. Ben knew Rey had something to do with it--it was just like the bouquet she sent for her solstice. But trees hadn’t been gifted by the Summer Kingdom in nearly half a century. Young pine tree dressings had been sorely missed by the Winter people for decades, and now they would have them again.

Winters dressed to the nines for the Ball, wearing their absolute best for Solstice. Some planned their Solstice clothing months ahead of time, saving the very best time of year for their most beautiful finery in the most loved Winter hues--deep greens, grays, blues the shade of night, browns and eggplant and dark, burnt reds, and of course black. Velvets and silks, the finest and softest knit cashmeres, ice jewels, and their most lavish furs--technically outlawed during Queen Amidala Winter’s time of rule, though that didn’t keep prideful and traditional Winters from wearing them anyway.

This was the one time of year that Winters had no issues being as loud and proud in their culture as the Summers were.

For the Feast, there were multiple tables that stretched long, covered in roasted meats and tiered, freestanding hot water crust pies, dishes made with cranberries and figs and currants and prunes. And of course: barrels and barrels of wine. Blueberry wine, pomegranate wine, plum wine and the darkest and driest of grape wines. But some Winters, particularly the older ones, hated fruit wine, considering all wines to be frivolous Summer faire. They preferred a much headier kick, and for them there were barrels of brandy, bourbon and absinthe.

In the Grand Ballroom, Winters danced across the frozen-solid floor, gowns spinning and shoes clicking against the ice. Tipsy Winters got into illicit behaviors, but only in private--in dark rooms of the castle and out in the dark courtyard, hidden from the intricate paths of electric, twinkling lights.

Unlike the Summers’ festivities, theirs would only last for one night. When Winters partied, they did it only with taste and class.

One night. Ben could handle one night of this. Theoretically. He did every year, sitting on his ice throne and overseeing the Ball. It was what was expected of him.

So why did it feel so impossible this year?

It felt wrong that he should have to be here and watch this silliness unfold. He didn’t mind the food, but the rest was ridiculous. Sitting here in his most elaborate ice crown and King’s clothing, head-to-toe finery handmade with black silk and velvet, to do nothing but watch and stare and be watched and be stared at. Even occasionally getting greeted by drunk Winters that bowed to him. Ridiculous. Why should he have to be a part of this when he was doing nothing but sitting on display?

He didn’t want a part of this. He didn’t want to be here. He was miserable.

Because the one person he wanted here wasn’t allowed to be here.

He kept staring at the pine trees across the ballroom, standing against the outer walls, being decorated by Winters with pearls and cinnamon sticks and dried fruits.

Anxiously looking at the lush green branches, aching struck him in the chest like a punch. Those trees would only stay green for so long here indoors, in pots. Over time, without being replanted in the ground, or replenished with her magic, they would fade. They would become dull. The needles would dry up and fall off.

She should be here. But that could never be.

Never that. But…

Perhaps there was something else Ben could do.

Ben watched and waited. Watched as wine and liquor continued to flow. As his cabinet members and guards grew drunk, so belligerently drunk that they forgot about his presence altogether. Now was his chance.

He slipped away from his throne and out of the ballroom. All of the carriage drivers were celebrating, and Ben couldn’t rely on any of them to be discreet anyway. He broke into the stables, finding his favorite black steed and mounted him.

And he rode into the night, bathed in winter moonlight.

~~~

About an hour later, with his horse at a full run, he arrived.

The Summer Castle was uncharacteristically dimmed on the inside--not lit from the inside with brilliant lights and noise, as usual. How was he going to get in?

Bringing his horse around to the courtyard and tying him there, so he wouldn’t be seen, he found a solution--the maid’s entrance. It was an inconspicuous door on the side of the castle, so hidden that it wasn’t guarded. He slipped inside.

He knew this was crazy. He knew it was impertinent, and irresponsible. But he didn’t care. He was reckless and determined and he wouldn’t stop until he saw her again.

It was quiet inside. The hallways were dimmed, and much of the castle was dark and in disuse. So this was what the mighty Summer Castle looked like in their off season. It was the polar opposite of the Winter Castle currently, and Ben actually found it comforting. 

Despite his current situation. Breaking _into_ the Summer Castle. 

But it was surprisingly easy to not be seen. It was like the start of his season had lulled the loud Summers into an almost hibernative state. He only had to duck around corners now and then to avoid being seen by some maids and servants, the only people he saw walking along the hallways at all.

Finally, when he walked by the castle’s indoor greenhouse, he saw her crouched among rose bushes through one of the windows. The greenhouse had multiple windows looking in on it, and its ceiling was made entirely of glass, likely for letting in full, potent sunlight during the day. 

One of her guards, not Chewbacca, another one whose name Ben didn’t know, stood just behind her. Ben ducked down, waiting until he knew he hadn’t been spotted by him. He moved into Rey’s field of vision through another window. Just as he wondered how he would get her attention, she suddenly spotted him, as if sensing him there.

At the sight of him, her mouth dropped open, then she glanced quickly back at her guard. His attention was elsewhere. She gestured at Ben to hide, and he did.

“I’m off to my own activities for the evening,” Rey told the guard, loud enough for Ben to hear. “You need not follow me. Good night.”

Ben heard light footsteps coming toward him, and then suddenly Rey burst into the hallway he stood in, hand clasping around his wrist and dragging him away somewhere. He didn’t resist, only rushed to keep up with her pace, vigilantly looking around to make sure no one saw them.

She didn’t speak until they arrived in a tiny, dark room in a section of the castle that looked abandoned for the season. She shoved him inside and slammed the door shut behind them. 

“What are you _doing_ here?” she said in disbelief, but there was a huge smile on her face.

She wasn’t upset with him. Thank goodness. “I don’t know,” he said dumbly.

Rey continued, “It’s the Solstice! Shouldn’t you be at your castle? No--shouldn’t you be in your _kingdom_?”

“I know. I should be.”

“So why are you--”

“I don’t know,” Ben said again. He was helpless. “I just had to get out of there. Before I knew it, I was on my horse, and--” he cut off, shaking his head. “I wanted to see you.”

Rey shook her head too, but she also looked pretty pleased. “I can’t believe you’re here. Did you even use the front doors?”

“I snuck in.”

She burst out laughing. Her laugh was uproarious and musical at the same time. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Probably.”

She threw her arms around him. “I’m so happy to see you. Today’s been awful, and I really just...I’ve needed to talk to someone who understands. I needed a friend.”

He stiffened at her unexpected embrace, bracing his hands on her shoulders before he thought better of it, jerking them away. “You’ll get cold,” he told her. 

Usually she cringed away from the cold--it physically _hurt_ her, which made this hug all the more surprising. He didn’t want to hurt her, especially on the day that his power had reached its peak. He tried again to put a bit of distance between them for her benefit, using the backs of his gloved hands.

But instead of pulling away, her arms tightened around him even more. “Stop. I don’t care.”

His heart’s pulse tripped. She didn’t mind how cold he was. At least not enough to let go of him yet. “Oh.” He swallowed hard. “Okay.”

A few more moments went by, and finally she let him go, backing up a step. The room was still dark, the moon the only source of light, streaming in through the window. He finally got a good look at her. She was wrapped in a bright red cloak over a sweater dress with long sleeves, made of cotton. The castle itself was heated, but she was shivering. She tucked her arms against herself, and Ben caught it when her eyes raked over his form.

When she realized he’d noticed her attention on him, she turned away, saying suddenly, “Come sit with me.” She walked over to where large, lavish pillows were sitting on the floor. He followed as she sat on one.

“This room is where me and my friend meet sometimes,” she explained as she saw him glancing around. “It belonged to the old King, and is no longer used. No one comes here but us.”

“I see,” said Ben, sitting on a pillow right across from hers, cross-legged. The pillows, new-looking and modern, looked like the only part of the room that had been touched in years. Everything else was lavish and old fashioned in a way that didn’t match Rey’s sensibilities at all, and coated in a thin layer of dust.

They sat in silence for a minute or so, and Rey fidgeted. She seemed nervous. Ben felt jittery and off-kilter as well, remembering that this was the first time they were together since... _that_ had happened, whatever that was. He glanced at her hands, bare again. Longing dragged through him, viscous and dark.

It seemed their line of thoughts were similar, because when Rey finally spoke up, she sounded reserved. “Ben. Could you...do something for me?”

“Anything,” he told her. He meant it.

“Could you...take off your gloves again? For me?” Her voice was soft and shy, so unlike her. But as she gazed at him, her eyes were hooded. Wanting. “Please?”

He was powerless to refuse. One after the other, with their stares locked, he took his thick black gloves off, placing them on the floor between them. He knew this was going to happen again. The last occurrence was too strange, too _fascinating_ to not be explored further--and knowing that was probably what led him to seek her out tonight in the first place.

Whatever they were about to do, there would be nothing to stop them this time. 

Immediately after his gloves were gone, her hands grabbed for his. Even so weak, her heat spread over his skin. So sweet. Ben bit his lip, stifling a moan.

“I just…” Rey’s voice was quiet. Vulnerable. Both her hands grasped at his as she stared down at them. Her fingers massaged over his skin, greedy for his touch. “I just needed...to feel this again.” She swallowed, and in the quiet room, it was loud. “Is...that alright?”

He could barely think with her touching him like that. He could barely _breathe._ “Of course it is,” he whispered. She could do whatever she wanted with him and it would be okay.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking of this. I needed to feel you again.” Her hands stalled. Slow, hesitant, Rey’s eyes met his again. “You feel good.”

She liked his cold hands? “You feel good, too.” Ben couldn’t look away from her. Now, in this room. Or ever. 

“Is that odd?” Worry tinged her features.

Ben had no idea what normal was anymore. “I don’t know.”

She whispered fiercely, “What are we doing?”

“I don’t know.”

Ben didn’t know what drove him to do it--perhaps it was that same instinct in him that had brought him there. He lifted one of her hands toward his face. Slowly, slow enough for her to stop him or take her hand away. She didn’t. 

She watched as he turned her hand over, palm up. As he leaned down and pressed his lips to the middle of her palm.

Rey’s breathing hitched. Her magic tickled his lips with warmth. More. Keeping his eyes on hers, watching her carefully, he let his tongue dip out, the tip of it trailing across her palm. She gasped, eyelids fluttering, and her magic heated the inside of his mouth. He could _taste_ it. It was exquisite--and not enough.

He pressed his lips to her wrist, the material of her long-sleeved dress the only barrier between her skin and his lips. Then the inside of her elbow. More, _more._

They shuffled closer, hands intertwining again, and he left a light kiss on her clothed shoulder before he dragged his face against her naked decolletage and neck, relishing her Summer scent, the press of his skin against hers, and feeling the heat pulsing through her. He _wanted_ it.

Rey breathed unevenly. He pulled back to look at her, wanting to make sure she was all right with what he was doing. 

She let go of his hands--only to slowly, gently, place hers on either side of his face. Her magic soaked into his skull, and the potency of it made his eyes roll back, chased the last crumbs of resistance from his mind. Drunk on her power, he leaned into her touch, and she watched him with her hungry dark eyes. 

Her right hand shifted, lifting her thumb to press into the plush swell of his bottom lip. His mouth opened, she pushed her thumb inside, and he _sucked_ . A sound somewhere between a moan and an ‘ _ah_ ’ left Rey’s throat. He released her thumb, and she traced his upper lip with her pointer finger, and his tongue flicked out to taste it.

She had him in her grasp, between her powerful hands that, at the peak of her season, could kill him if she wanted.

Being roasted alive by the touch of Rey Summerday would be his greatest honor.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

“So are you,” she whispered back.

Her face leaned in toward his. He leaned toward her. An instinct as ancient as time itself had taken over them both, and they had no choice but to give in.

They had no way of knowing what would happen when their lips touched. Easily, it could have led to an excruciating death for them both.

Thank goodness that didn’t happen. Instead, when their mouths met, it was something of magnificent beauty.

Because here's the thing about heat: At first, it hurts--it scorches much too brightly and brilliantly. It's overwhelming, and the first instinct is to jump away from it. 

But then the veins dilate, and the blood adjusts. And instead of burning, it starts to lull. And soon that heat is all one wants to feel, consistently and without fading. Because the absence of that comforting heat is cold suffering.

But the thing of the cold, too, is in the adjustment. At first it feels harsh, biting, like the sharp, serrated edge of a knife. Then the blood vessels constrict. And the cold instead feels soothing against overheated skin. Ailments fade, pain is drawn out, and the sensation, instead of feeling intrusive or offensive, is a relief.

And the truth of the matter was this, a secret long hidden from both kingdoms, divided and separated for so many centuries: Summers and Winters were built to sustain both. It was their ultra-concentrated purebred magic, and their societies, which had made them intolerant to the opposite season. The long periods of separation had built a long, deep alienation toward each other.

But despite that, natural instinct was a powerful thing. And deep inside all of them, in some way, whether they realized it or not, they would always crave the _other._

And with their bodies pressed up against each other, mouths hungry, hands claiming, the queen of the Summers and the king of the Winters made this discovery bathed in the bright moon of the Winter Solstice.

The moment their lips met, a frenzy began. Rey’s heat radiated from her and coursed through _him_ , trading his cold for her magic in his veins. It lit him from the inside, set his soul on fire, made the hidden sliver of Summer inside him awaken and scream. 

Her lips were the velvety petals of a rose, her mouth was the sweetest, juiciest stone fruit. He would never get enough of her. Every second he’d lived without kissing her had been an absolute waste.

His hands roamed over every curve, every crevice, pressing her body deeply against him with possession.

His cold resounded through _her_ body, and she gasped and whimpered needily against his mouth, hands struggling for purchase and tugging him on top of her as she fell back onto the pillows. Rey kissed him with the kind of unbridled, burning passion that only a Summer Queen could possess, kissed him like she wanted to brand his mind with this moment forever. Like she wanted to _consume_ him.

Ben balanced his weight on one arm, the other winding around her waist, hand pressing flat against her back. Her legs spread, and his hips aligned with hers. Even through the multiple layers of both her clothes and his, he could _feel_ the heat of her there. He pulled back to look at her in question, and she nodded at him almost savagely.

He moved himself against her feather light, experimenting. Tingling spread through his veins. He did it again, pressing harder this time, and the sensation was like getting hit with lighting. Rey threw her head back with a strangled shout, and Ben’s legs buckled, groaning long and deep in his chest. It was so good, _so good_. 

Grinding against her again, slowly, relishingly, she moved her hips to match him. His forehead fell against her humid shoulder. Her skin steamed and his was slick with water, drenching both their clothes and hair. 

Their powers resounded off each other, frenzied, swirling and intertwining. Fire with his ice, neither overcoming the other. Combining with perfect, balanced, even warmth that consumed them both.

They moved together. With shaking hands, Rey yanked Ben’s face back to hers, and his desperate mouth met hers again.

The door burst open, light pouring into the dark, quiet room.

“Oh! Your Majesty!” A feminine voice said.

At first Rey and Ben froze at the sudden intrusion--snapping back to reality at the same time. About who that was, and that they were now in the room with them. About what they’d _just been caught doing._

Then they scrambled apart in a very undignified manner. Though nothing about what they’d just done together was dignified. They stood up and whirled to stare at their intruder.

And Lady Rose stared back at them. Realization slowly dawned on her features, and then red-faced, moon-eyed shock, as she processed what she’d just walked in on. Her voice quieted. “...Your...Majesties.”

A shaky moment of silence passed. Ben felt the condensation on his skin turn to a thin layer of frost. Then Rey spun to Ben. “This window opens right above the terrace that overlooks the courtyard. Go,” she whispered.

Ben didn’t need to be told twice. He loped toward the only window in the room, lifted it open, and disappeared through it. 

And as he made his escape on his steed through the front gates, the hood of his cloak drawn to hide his face, he noticed the moon was shrouded with clouds, the sky swirling with snowflakes.

~~~

“Rey,” Rose stammered, “W-Was that...King--?”

Rey flew to her, covering her mouth with her hand. “Swear you won’t tell a soul.”

Rose’s eyes were huge as they stared back into hers.

“ _Swear it_ ,” Rey implored, very close to tears. “Please Rose. Not a single soul.”

Rose said something, and it was muffled. Rey moved her hand. “You were _kissing_ ,” Rose whispered. Rey covered her mouth again. They’d been doing a little _more_ than that.

“Rose! Please. _Please._ ”

Seeing how desperate she was, Rose nodded tightly. Rey sighed in relief, finally dropping her hand away.

“Of course I won’t tell,” Rose said, exasperatedly. As if the thought of telling one of Rey’s secrets was absolutely preposterous to her. “But Rey...can I ask you something? As a friend?”

“You’re my _best_ friend,” Rey corrected her. She hid her hands from view. They felt exposed, evidence of what she had just done. With the _King_ of the _Winter Kingdom._ “And yes. Go ahead.”

Rose’s voice was soft, her eyes were understanding, but her countenance was pure panic. “What the _hell_ is going on?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sit tight for the rest of winter in part 4. Comments and kudos are appreciated! 🤍


	4. winter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are four new songs on the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7swlURZz6nMkqC3J7te4Hu?si=VVmONvIoT8ebi0LWx_TNSw) to go alongside this chapter!
> 
> Here's the second half of winter! Enjoy. ❄❄❄ (Moodboard below by me.)

pt. 4

Thoughts of Rey consumed Ben for the next week.

His life had gone on in the Winter Kingdom, because it had to. It was his season, now, and there was so much work to be done daily. He buried himself in his work--because if he didn’t, he would drown in this self-made tidal wave of emotion.

He’d managed to make it back to the Winter Castle inconspicuously the night of the Solstice, for the most part--Lord Hux might have caught sight of him stumbling across the east wing of the castle to his apartments, drenched and covered in snow. But Lord Hux and Lady Frost were very drunk that night. He doubted they even remembered any part of it.

However, he knew his luck that night was rare. He wouldn’t be able to replicate it anytime soon. Which meant that he would not see Rey again for the rest of the winter.

The thought filled him with despair.

So he did the only thing he could think of to alleviate this misery. He sat at his desk and wrote a letter.

**~~~**

The first week of Rey’s winter dragged.

It always dragged, naturally. Winter was the most miserable, joyless time of the year. And she had expected that, as she always did. What she _hadn’t_ expected was Ben Amidala sneaking into her castle on the night of the Solstice all dressed in his silk and velvet, ravaging her, and then disappearing back into the night.

That had really thrown a wrench in her winter plans. Because now the only thing she could think of was him. 

His wide shoulders, his imposing height, his elegant face, the way his dark eyes brooded and took her gaze hostage. The size of his hands and the way they dwarfed hers. The power inside those hands, their grip. The way his magic drove deep into her bones and made her shiver in ecstasy.

That night had awakened something in her, and it wouldn’t go away. Her mind was lost somewhere in the Winter Kingdom, perhaps never to return.

After the long week had passed uneventfully, almost driven mad by boredom, something unexpected happened yet again.

A letter came, the envelope addressed to her. There was no return address.

She opened it, reading it.

  
  
  


> _**From The Desk of Ben Amidala:** _
> 
> _**Rey,** _
> 
> _**This was the only way I knew how to reach you. I hope this is alright.** _
> 
> _**Since your cabinet member spotted us together the last time, I didn’t want to take chances and get caught in your castle again. But I’ve wanted to talk to you more than anything.** _
> 
> _**I haven’t stopped thinking of you since the Winter Solstice. Not once.** _
> 
> _**What we did was irresponsible...but I don’t care. I don’t regret it, either. Because now I know that what I feel for you is real.** _
> 
> _**Do you regret it? Our kiss? Have you been thinking of me, too? Are you well?** _
> 
> _**Please write back to me. If I have bothered you with this contact, tell me now, and I won’t bother you again.** _
> 
> _**Ben** _

  
  


Enthralled, Rey sat down at her desk to write her response.

~~~

He received a response from Rey quicker than he could have ever hoped for. When the servant handed the envelope to him, he sent everyone away from the throne room to read it in peace, with no nosy glances or questions. Alone, he opened it up and read it.

  
  
  


> _Queen Summer_
> 
> _The Summer Castle_
> 
> _Summer Street, Summer Kingdom_
> 
> _DYAD_
> 
> _Ben:_
> 
> _I’m well. Thank you for writing to me. I’m so relieved to hear from you. I was worried that you had been caught by your servants, too. But our secret is safe, my cabinet member that saw us swore not to tell a soul. She is my closest confidant. Don’t worry, we can trust her._
> 
> _I don’t regret it. I haven’t stopped thinking about you, either. I can’t stop thinking about how it felt when we kissed. And I miss you. I miss you a lot._
> 
> _Is that okay to say? Sorry if that’s weird. I feel like I might be losing my mind. This is all very new to me._
> 
> _How has your winter been so far? Do you miss me, too?_
> 
> _By the way, you left your gloves here. Would you like for me to have them sent back to you?_
> 
> _From,_
> 
> _Rey_

  
  


He wrote his response to her that night. And he hoped it wasn’t too much.

~~~

Ben’s response letter was quick. It was difficult to hide her joy as she received it from her maid. She eagerly read it after she locked herself in her bedroom.

  
  
  


> _**From The Desk of Ben Amidala:** _
> 
> _**Rey,** _
> 
> _**I had completely forgotten about those gloves. I have hundreds of pairs just like them.** _
> 
> _**They’re yours to keep, if you want them.** _
> 
> _**My Winter has been utterly hollow. I should be happy, because it’s my time and my season.** _
> 
> _**But I’m not. Because you’re not here with me.** _
> 
> _**To say that I miss you would be a disservice to how I really feel. My life is lacking you.** _
> 
> _**To hear you say that you miss me is reassuring, though. Somehow it doesn’t sound like empty words, coming from you.** _
> 
> _**I too feel as if I’m losing my senses. What I would give for my season to be over just to see you again.** _
> 
> _**And to touch you.** _
> 
> _**Ben** _

  
  


She crushed his gloves to her chest, inhaling. They smelled like him. Spice and woods with a tinge of bitter sweetness, like dark chocolate. She bit her lip as she remembered how his mouth had felt on hers. How soft his lips were.

How they had... _moved_ against each other. She wanted him so bad--then and again in this moment, her body’s heat rising at the memory.

She decided to tell him.

~~~

Rey’s newest letter left Ben reeling.

  
  
  


> _Queen Summer_
> 
> _The Summer Castle_
> 
> _Summer Street, Summer Kingdom_
> 
> _DYAD_
> 
> _Ben:_
> 
> _Reading your last letter made me weak._
> 
> _If I may, I want to correct my last statement. Because saying that I miss you isn’t enough._
> 
> _I would give anything to see you right now, too. And I would give anything to kiss you again._
> 
> _The way you felt...solid and real, and so alive. Like something I’ve always needed. How your hands held me. The way your cold mixed with my heat. You felt so good. I miss the way you cool me back down and keep me from burning up into flame. I crave it._
> 
> _If your life is lacking me, my body is lacking yours._
> 
> _Yours,_
> 
> _Rey_

Just as he finished reading, Lord Pryde entered the throne room. Ben almost jumped out of his skin. He quickly crossed his legs, folding up the letter and stuffing it away in his cloak before it could be seen.

It took him days to compose himself enough to write back the perfect response. And he didn’t hold back this time.

~~~

  
  
  
  
  


> _**From The Desk of Ben Amidala:** _
> 
> _**My Rey,** _
> 
> _**Beautiful belladonna. Your words are dangerous.** _
> 
> _**I’ve read your letter over and over again, only in privacy. So that my servants and cabinet cannot see the effect your dangerous words have on me. My mind reels with you.** _
> 
> _**How I long to cool your heat. To bask in it. To taste it. To drink from your lips until I’m drunk.** _
> 
> _**Your hands and face were so hot under my touch.** _
> 
> _**If I close my eyes, I can still feel that exquisite heat emanating from you.** _
> 
> _**I wonder how hot you might feel without your clothes. If that lovely fever blush on your cheeks and neck spreads to the rest of you. If you might open your legs for me again, so that I may drink the heat there, too.** _
> 
> _**Madder still I become. I miss you wholly and completely.** _
> 
> _**Until you can lie next to me, I’ll hold on to dreams of you.** _
> 
> _**Your Ben** _

  
  


Rey gulped down a tall glass of water. She had to, after finishing reading _that_. 

Hell. Ben Amidala would stop at nothing to drive her to the brink of insanity.

She read it again and again, waiting for the words to stop having such a strong effect on her body. That didn’t happen. Instead, it just made her crave him even more. 

Longing and desire drowned her as she wrote her next letter.

~~~

After her last letter, Ben made _sure_ that he was alone as he read this one.

  
  
  
  


> _Queen Summer_
> 
> _The Summer Castle_
> 
> _Summer Street, Summer Kingdom_
> 
> _DYAD_
> 
> _My Ben:_
> 
> _If my words are dangerous, your words are the headiest drug._
> 
> _Weeks have gone by and I still can’t forget our moment in the dark. I long to lie with you in the night and be by your side in the day._
> 
> _I wish you were here with me._
> 
> _What kinds of things do you imagine we could do right now, if we were together? If we could be by each other’s side in the future, what would we do?_
> 
> _Last night, I dreamt that we lived in the same castle. No Winter Castle, no Summer Castle. Only one castle, where we lived together. And we spent all day together, and all night. And in the place we lived in, all was well._
> 
> _It was nice. My dream. I wish it could be real._
> 
> _Actually and truly yours,_
> 
> _Rey_

  
  
  


~~~

  
  
  
  


> _**From The Desk of Ben Amidala:** _
> 
> _**My Rey,** _
> 
> _**Your dream is beautiful. Just like you. I want it to be real, too.** _
> 
> _**If we were together, right now, I would take you on a picnic. Like the ones you made for me, but out in the snow, with as many blankets for you as I could carry.** _
> 
> _**We would eat rich stews and game pies, and I would make hot chocolate for you. And I would have a bonfire so you might be more comfortable, at least for a little while.** _
> 
> _**I wish we had one castle together, where I could be with you everyday. Or maybe I wish that we just lived in the same place at all. It wouldn’t have to be a castle. I just want to be in the same place you are. A cottage together, in the country. Away from everything that plagues us, away from responsibility and expectation. Like my mother and father.** _
> 
> _**Perhaps if I weren’t King...and you weren’t Queen…** _
> 
> _**Well.** _
> 
> _**I am. And you are. But that doesn’t matter. I want you anyway.** _
> 
> _**Your Ben** _

  
  


Rey’s heart hammered at his beautiful words, but it beat even harder with the knowledge of what she wanted to say to him next. She felt as if she couldn’t hold it in another day longer. Like she might burst if she did.

So, for just a few moments pushing aside the outside expectations that weighed upon her back like a thousand boulders, with courage, she composed her shortest letter yet. It was scary. Like standing on the tallest hill in the middle of a lightning storm.

She hoped that his last letter wouldn’t be the _last_. She hoped that he would still respond.

She sealed it into an envelope and sent her heart away.

~~~

  
  


> _Queen Summer_
> 
> _The Summer Castle_
> 
> _Summer Street, Summer Kingdom_
> 
> _DYAD_
> 
> _My Ben:_
> 
> _No matter who we are, no matter what we are, no matter where we live. That doesn’t matter to me, either. Because I love you._
> 
> _And no matter how long it takes to see you again, that is how I feel._
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Your Rey_

  
  


Rey loved him.

_Rey loved him._

In his bedroom, where no one could see, Ben crumpled onto his floor, her letter still in his hands.

In all his life, he had never known happiness like this.

~~~

  
  


> _**From The Desk of Ben Amidala:** _
> 
> _**My Rey Summerday,** _
> 
> _**I love you. I think that I always have.** _
> 
> _**If you wanted me to, if you asked me to, I would wait for you forever.** _
> 
> _**If, however, you wanted to see me before then, I’ll do anything, risk anything to make that happen.** _
> 
> _**My pain and misery is acute, and I cannot bear the thought of not seeing you for almost another month. I may wither and die before that happens.** _
> 
> _**Oh, I love you. I love you. I love you.** _
> 
> _**Your Ben** _

  
  
  


Rey cried. 

The admission of his love for her, his adoring words--it felt like nothing Rey had ever experienced before. So she just cried and cried, like her heart was a fountain and it was overflowing.

They couldn’t go on this way. Winter was still drawing on, long and gray and cold, seemingly never ending. He was right, they couldn’t wait until _spring_ to see each other again. It was too far away.

She had to see him. 

~~~

  
  
  


> _Queen Summer_
> 
> _The Summer Castle_
> 
> _Summer Street, Summer Kingdom_
> 
> _DYAD_
> 
> _My Sweet Ben:_
> 
> _Let’s end our misery. Meet me at the Spring and Autumn Great Hall. Sunday night. Midnight._
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Your Rey_
> 
> _PS: I love you._

  
  
  


~~~

  
  
  


> _**From The Desk of Ben Amidala:** _
> 
> _**My Love,** _
> 
> _**The thought of seeing you and holding you in my arms again, the thought of kissing you...it’s almost too much to bear. Sunday night. I will be there.** _
> 
> _**Your Ben** _
> 
> _**PS: I love you, too.** _

~~~

Getting to the Great Hall by herself, in the middle of the night, was a trickier prospect than Rey had anticipated.

She had briefly considered walking the entire way, before realizing that it would take her hours to get there on foot-- _winter_ hours, which seemed three times longer, like time itself was slowed by the cold. And if she stayed out in that winter air for that long, she would surely perish before she could even see Ben’s face.

What she settled on eventually was enlisting one single royal driver to take her a majority of the way there, then walking the remaining five minutes or so on foot. Those five minutes were painful, but they would be worth it, she knew.

The path to the Great Hall was stark dark, and so, so cold, so very cold, Rey could scarcely comprehend this sort of cold--the air itself hurt to breathe. But the stars and moon were bright, at least, and they lit her way. 

She wondered if Ben was as nervous as she was. What if he’d changed his mind about coming tonight? What if he’d changed his mind about _her,_ and his feelings had changed? What if she opened the doors, and there was no one there waiting for her? Having unrequited feelings for the King of the other kingdom was about the saddest thing Rey could imagine.

No, it was just the darkness planting fear in her mind. He would be there. He said he would be.

When the Hall was in view, Rey’s feet shrieked and ached, and her face was numb.

She climbed the tall, steep stairs, used for the Peace Season ceremonies. Tonight they were empty. The Hall looked eerie and foreboding in the night.

Rey opened the doors, and there he was, standing in the foyer, his silhouette lit by moonlight. The moment she saw him, all of her physical pain and all of her doubts and fears disappeared in an instant.

At the sound of her entrance, Ben turned, his countenance brightening. He rushed to her, crossing the foyer. Eager, she reached for him, taking him into her arms as his wound around her waist and he lifted her up. His lips immediately took hers, and she melted into him.

“Ben,” she sighed when he pulled his face away. “These weeks have felt like years.”

“You’re cold,” Ben said, setting her back down on her feet. Then in one fluid movement, he removed his heavy cloak, sweeping it around her shoulders and covering her head with the hood. “I’m sorry. I should have made a fire before you arrived.”

Rey snuggled into his cloak gratefully, so large that she was swimming in it. “It’s okay. This was worth it to be here with you.”

The helpless worry had not left his face. He placed his hands on her again, but only through the material of the cloak. “You’re in pain.” There was a tremor in his voice.

“Don’t. Shh,” Rey told him, wrapping her arms around him again. She rested her head on his chest. “Just hold me. Just be with me.”

Despite his concern, he obeyed her command, holding her against him and hunching over to rest his chin on the top of her head. Yes, her body was turning numb. Yes, the air hurt her lungs. But there was nothing more exquisite in the entire world than being held by Ben Amidala. Being enveloped in his strong, steady, quiet love.

In his arms, she belonged. In his arms, _with him_ , she felt real for the first time in years. Like a real person, not a figurehead. Not a symbol.

She felt like a whole person. Capable of--and existing for--love.

She wished they could hold each other like this forever. She wanted to tell him this, and to finally breathe the words that she had only ever written to him on paper, to see the look in his eyes as she told him that she loved him.

Alas, she didn’t get the chance. Perfect moments weren’t meant to last.

Abrupt, there was a noise across the room. The sound of a door opening, and several footsteps. And then a voice, directed at the both of them.

“Stop right there.”

Out of the shadows stepped Lord Armitage Hux, Lady Phasma Frost, and Lord Enric Pryde, icy rage on their pale faces. In his hands, Armitage held a stack of papers. He narrowed his eyes, continuing, “Your Majesty. We would like an explanation for exactly what it is you’re doing right now.”

White hot fear clenched in Rey’s chest. Ben let go of her, keeping his eyes on his cabinet members as he moved in front of her, and he murmured, “Stay behind me, Rey.” The shift to his King persona was immediate.

“Well?” Lady Phasma said next, tapping her foot impatiently on the stone floor. “We’re waiting.”

“I did not summon you here,” Ben told them, his voice low and dangerous. “You came here without invitation. Need I remind you that I could punish the three of you for such a slight?”

“Your traitorous behavior summoned us here to fulfill our duties as well-to-do members of the Winter cabinet,” Lord Enric said, squinting.

“ _Traitorous?_ ” Ben echoed, voice rising.

“Do you deny it,” Lord Armitage held up the papers in his hand finally, putting snide emphasis onto the ending of his question, “ _Your Majesty?_ ”

Ben stared at the papers, frowning. Unsure now. “What are those?”

“What do you think?” Lord Armitage, lifting a brow, shuffled through the pages with disgust. “Only evidence of this immoral, _shameful_ affair that you’ve been having with the queen of the Summers. And keeping it secret from your cabinet, her cabinet, and _both_ your kingdoms.”

_The letters_. They got a hold of the letters? Or perhaps they were copies of them, made when the original letters were intercepted in secret. Which meant that they had, inevitably, _read the letters_. 

No, no, _no_.

Ben lashed out, “That correspondence between Queen Summer and myself was _private_. Invading the private matters of a reigning king is treason!”

“What about engaging in illicit behaviors with the reigning monarch of our rival kingdom?” Lady Phasma purred, her face set in challenge. “Would that not be considered treasonous?”

“I certainly believe the people of the Winter Kingdom would think that it is,” Lord Enric said.

“The Summer Kingdom as well,” Lord Armitage finished, acknowledging Rey’s presence directly at last and sneering at her in contempt. “And it would result in the immediate banishment of both your crowns.”

Clearly, they had prepared this confrontation for weeks. It was well-orchestrated and perfectly planned.

Ben simmered with rage, fists clenched and shaking at his sides--it made the air inside the Hall even colder. “What do you want from us?” he barked at the traitorous three.

That was what this was, when it came down to it. Blackmail.

The three seemed pleased that this was going so well for them, probably exactly as they planned. Rey had perhaps not truly hated anyone from the Winter Kingdom until this moment.

Lord Armitage demanded, “End this now. End it, return to having a political rivalry only, and neither kingdom will hear a word of this from us.”

“Continue,” Lady Phasma said, “and we will expose you.”

Lord Enric dealt the finishing blow. “Not just your affair, either. We’ll also tell everyone of the missing Princess’ shameful affair with a Summer that led to our reigning King’s birth.” He snarled in disgust, “Like mother like son.”

Ben and Rey looked at each other, both shaken. Rey with shock, Ben with shame. Then sympathy, dread...and finally, helpless surrender.

Not able to refute the accusations against them, not able to deny that what was said was true--they _were_ putting both their kingdoms at risk with their behavior, their crowns, and now Ben’s origins--they made an agreement.

A strictly political relationship from this point forward, with no more personal contact between them. They would go back to how they were before. Pretend none of this had happened.

They parted and returned to their own castles that night. And something in both of them died a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one was short, sorry. Double sorry for the cliffhanger. (Or am I?)
> 
> The finale (spring + epilogue) coming in a week! Hang on tight! Comments and kudos appreciated! 🤍


	5. spring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Here's the last part of this story, with the epilogue following right after! 
> 
> There are eight new songs on the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7swlURZz6nMkqC3J7te4Hu?si=VVmONvIoT8ebi0LWx_TNSw) to go alongside this conclusion, epilogue included.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the conclusion. Here we go! 🌸🌸🌸  
>  (Moodboard below made by [bittersnake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittersnake)!! Thank you again! 💕)
> 
> [](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittersnake)

**pt. 5**

The rest of winter passed in shades of gray.

Ben dutifully fulfilled all of his work during the rest of his season, as usual. He was stonier than usual, and he was sure that all of his servants had perceived his low-boiling anger lingering just beneath the surface. They had avoided interacting directly with him for weeks.

He would never forgive Hux, Frost, and Pryde for this. For taking away what meant the most to him. For stealing what little happiness he had. And he would never forget it. As indirectly as possible, he would make their lives hell for the rest of his reign.

He could live to be five hundred and he would never let it go.

As for Rey, she spent the rest of her winter at the bottom of a pit of emptiness she couldn’t escape from. Most days she couldn’t bear to get out of bed, and her maids brought her meals to her on a tray. Rey ate some of it, but only because she needed it to live.

But she did not truly feel alive anymore. Her inner spark, the one that sustained her even during the darkest, most miserable time of year, had gone out.

There was possibly nothing more cruel than finding love, grasping it in her hands, and then having it wrenched away from her. Forever. Because of who she was. Because her life was no longer her own, and it never would be again.

Rey the person could not exist anymore. Queen Summer held reign over both their lives, standing over Rey. Snuffing her out.

~~~

One day, when Ben had no major duties left, he escaped to his apartments for the rest of the day.

It was the only place he found peace. Not even the frozen throne room brought him any solace anymore. At least in his rooms, no one could come visit him unless he authorized it. It was the one place where he could be truly alone, where he would not be bothered.

So when there was a knock on the door of his sitting room, he was more than surprised--he was annoyed and outraged at whoever dared to come knocking and disturb his peace.

He crossed the room in quick strides, impatiently swung the door open, and opened his mouth to yell at whoever was on the other side. But when he saw the cold, serene, impassive face of his grandmother there, his anger and irritation died immediately.

“Grandmother,” he said, his voice small. She’d come to visit him in his part of the castle. She _never_ did that anymore. She always called for _him_.

“Ben,” she greeted. Out in the hallway behind her, there were two Knights waiting.

As was usual for her, the Dowager Queen Padme Amidala was decorated head-to-toe. It was her way. Her lavish ensemble today was maroon and black, made of plush velvet and garnished with rubies and black pearls. A circlet made of white pearls and ice rested on her complicated updo--it had lots of loops and swirls. Ben didn’t think he had ever seen her in plain clothes in his entire life. 

“A royal must always look presentable, even when we aren’t doing anything. It’s what is expected of us,” she’d constantly told him when he was little, when he would ask her why she looked so fancy all the time.

“To...what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked, trying to keep his sudden nerves hidden.

“I’ve come to see you,” she said simply. “Come. Don your cloak. Let us go for a walk.” 

He put on his cloak, and with her arm looped through his, they left his end of the castle and descended the stairs. They left the front doors and went out into the brisk late afternoon. 

Snow drifted lazily from the sky, and the cloud-concealed sun made the fresh powder on the ground glitter. It had snowed a lot this year--Ben hadn’t _meant_ to conjure so many storms. His mood was so dour that it happened anyway.

The ex-Queen inhaled the biting air with appreciation. “Beautiful day.”

“It is.”

Grandmother Padme turned, looking at the guards over her shoulder and commanding, “Fall back. Give us privacy.”

The guards stopped following after them as they continued walking out into the snow-packed courtyard, their footsteps crunching.

“You wanted to speak with me?” Ben asked finally, when his grandmother’s contemplative silence began to make him nervous again.

She nodded gracefully. “Yes. I did.”

She hadn’t found out about the letters, had she? Or had she perhaps found out about his indiscretions on the night of the Solstice, somehow? Sometimes it was like she had eyes in every room of the castle. She was so intuitive that it could be frightening.

Or even worse: had his cabinet traitors told her everything?

“About what?” he asked her, holding his breath.

His grandmother paused. Then she leaned her head against his arm. For all her might and her powerful presence, and her larger-than-life hairstyles, the top of her head only came up to the side of his shoulder. 

“You’ve been distant lately,” she said. Soft. Perhaps a little hurt.

And there she was: the soft-hearted Padme Amidala that only Ben knew. Well, and his mother, before their falling-out. And his grandfather, Anakin, too. He assumed. They had been madly in love, according to the stories. But he had died long before Ben was born. He’d never met him.

“I’m sorry, grandmother,” he said. “I know I have. I’ve just been very...preoccupied.”

“Too busy to come see me?”

He blew out a chuckle, and it fogged out in front of him. “It’s no excuse, really.”

“No, it isn’t. I’ve missed my grandson terribly. How has your season been going?”

The question weighed heavily on him. He stayed silent for too long, because Padme saw straight through it.

“Oh, dear. Something’s wrong.” She led him over to a stone bench, covered in a dusting of snow. They both sat on it. “Let us talk.”

Ben hesitated. She noticed that, too.

“Ben,” she said, her tone firm. He met her eyes, and they were pure steel. “You can tell me anything. Anything at all.”

Her fierce, protective love for him was the only thing that made him surrender. So he started at the very beginning--the day of Rey’s coronation. The day he had first met the fresh-faced, common-born, elected young Queen of the Summers.

Because if Ben were really honest with himself, when they’d had their introductions to one another, and with the way her undignified curtsey and fire in her hazel eyes contrasted sharply with the gown she wore and the scepter she carried...the little piece of Summer in him had already loved her. 

And now he knew that he loved Rey Summerday more than he had ever loved anything.

Once he started talking, he couldn’t stop. And before he could help himself, everything spilled out of him. 

The shoes he gave to her, their fight on Autumn Equinox Eve, all the time they spent together in the autumn, breaking protocol to see her during Solstice. The letters. The blackmail. _Everything_.

And then finally he stopped, because the fear of the repercussions he was about to receive took over, and he could no longer speak. He couldn’t even look his grandmother in the eye. Sitting next to him, she was very quiet and very still.

Oh, no. She was angry. She was so, so angry. Ben had not just betrayed his kingdom, and his throne. He had betrayed _her_. He’d broken her high regard for him, and she would make him step down from the throne. She would make him go into exile, just like his mother. She would never speak to him again.

“Ben,” she said suddenly, interrupting his inner downward spiral. “Do you know how old I am?” The tone of her voice was impossible to read, and he was still too scared to look at her.

Ben swallowed. Was this a trick question? “...No, I don’t.”

“I’m eighty years old. That’s eight decades. Eight decades of life experiences.” She took a long, heavy pause. “And I haven’t spoken to your mother for three of those decades.”

Ben’s shock made him look up at her again. She hadn’t even spoken to him about his mother since he was a child--and now, suddenly, she was.

Padme’s eyes were shut. “Three decades. It had only taken me one of those decades to realize what a mistake I made the night I sent her away from me. Away from you. And yet, I’ve spent two more decades ashamed and afraid. Ashamed that I chose my kingdom over my daughter. Afraid that she will never forgive me for what I’ve done, and that if she didn’t, that would be exactly what I deserve.”

Ben was speechless. His grandmother had never been this vulnerable with him about their family before. She had never told him any of this. Her honesty was arresting. 

She kept going. “In the time of my reign, there were many decisions I made that weren’t for myself. I know you understand that. I taught you to put the needs of Winters above your own, because that is what a good monarch does.” She laid a hand on top of his. Her delicate hands wore gloves, much like his, but woven from lace. “But now I must teach you something as your grandmother. Look at me.” She turned his face gently with her other hand. He met her eyes. They were filled with tears. “Marry her.”

His mouth dropped open. He tried to speak, but all he could say was, “Grandmother.”

“There is one major way I failed, in all my years of being queen. And that was in failing my daughter and tearing apart a family because I was afraid. Afraid of what people would think of a queen with a Summer son-in-law, afraid of what Leia would have faced in our kingdom with a bi-seasonal child. And instead of fighting for her, instead of doing everything I could to ensure her happiness, I threw her away. I was a coward, because I couldn’t accept that my daughter loved someone that I didn’t understand.” Her voice was resolute. Tears ran down her cheeks. “I will never make the same mistake with you.”

Ben was overjoyed, shocked, amazed, touched. He was _overwhelmed_. “Grandmother, are you sure? But how can I? Do you think I could--?”

“You are the _King_ of this kingdom. You can do anything you desire, Ben. As long as you decree it. For all this time, what I wanted for you was to be able to follow my legacy. But your legacy is your own, and it will be much greater than mine, or any Winter King or Queen before us both. You’ll be the greatest Winter King, because you’ll be the first to end a centuries-long divide. You and your love will reunite the kingdoms of Dyad and make us whole once again.”

Padme removed her left glove. After a long, last look at it, she took off the enormous, beloved black diamond ring on her finger. Then she held it up to Ben’s face. 

She smiled, and it was loving and supportive and unwavering. “You have my blessing. Now all you have to do is propose.”

Heart pounding, filled with a kind of hope he hadn’t felt in weeks, he took the ring and smiled back at her.

His grandmother tucked his hair behind his ears, the way she did when he was small. “And as for those treasonous cabinet members,” she said, referring to Hux, Pryde and Frost, her tone darkening as she chucked his chin playfully, “you leave them to me.”

~~~

It seemed as if winter would last forever. But finally, mercifully, spring was on the horizon once more.

It was the eve of the Spring Equinox, in the Spring and Autumn Great Hall. And the meeting was about to begin.

Rey settled in her throne, keeping her gaze conspicuously locked on the floor. She had to, or else she would look at him. And she knew, knew without even looking, that he was staring at her.

She wished he wouldn’t. She was feeling self-conscious--after all, she had just spent the entire end of winter _living_ in her bed. This was the best she’d looked in months, thanks to her stylists, but she didn’t feel that way. She wanted to retreat to her castle, go back to her room and hide under her blankets.

She wished he would hold up his end of the deal. To go on like they had before, during a time that felt like a thousand years ago now. Pretending as if they meant nothing to each other. Pretending like they’d never held hands, or kissed, or held each other. Pretending like they hadn’t been in love. 

Being in his presence was hard enough already. Talking to him and hiding her emotions was going to be torture.

The meeting began, and it was time for Rey to state her desires for the upcoming season.

Lady Jannah handed her the papers she’d prepared, which detailed all of her plans. Clearing her throat, Rey began to read them one by one. She took her time, not in any rush to finish.

Because when she finished, she would have to address him directly. Dreadfully, she reached the end of her plans. Here it was. There was no putting it off any longer.

Rey looked up from her papers, finding Ben across the floor from her in his moon throne. Their eyes met for the first time in a month. His hair was wild in that way that she liked, and his gaze melted into her.

He was so beautiful.

“What say you, King Winter?” Rey asked, only after a few moments’ pause. She’d had to catch her breath, and she hoped no one had noticed.

“Yes,” was his immediate response.

She was dazed. They still had not looked away from one another. “Sorry? Yes to what?”

“To all of your plans for this spring,” he said, simple and to the point. His expression held so many different emotions at once. “Yes to them all.”

Silence fell over the Great Hall at once, as everyone stared at Ben now. The Summers with disbelief, and the Winters with repugnance.

“What?” Lord Mitaka roared. Rey hadn’t noticed until now, but Lord Enric, Lady Phasma, and Lord Armitage were missing from their usual seats. No--they weren’t there at all. In their place were Winters that Rey had never met before. “Your Majesty, you’re not going to dispute _anything_ she said?”

Ben held Rey’s eyes. “No. I’m not.”

Rey’s heart squeezed.

“What about the sun showers? The lack of spring snow?”

“I accept all of it.”

Finally, Rey broke their gaze, staring down at her hands. She couldn’t believe it. He was giving her everything she wanted.

She wanted to get on with things so that this would be over. She felt like she was about to cry, or break from her throne to run to him, or both. She spoke loudly, to silence all of the murmuring. “And what requests do you have to make for the upcoming spring, King Winter?”

“I have no requests to make for the springtime, Queen Summer.”

In spite of herself, she glanced up at him again. “None?”

“None,” he confirmed. His voice was clear and even. He’d made up his mind about this long before today, it seemed. “And after a harsh winter, I wish you and the rest of the Summer Kingdom a warm and happy spring.”

The double meaning of his words made her heart race. She wished she could read his face. Was there regret there? Apology? Did she imagine the aching in his eyes? Or was she just hoping to see it there?

“Thank you, King Winter,” she forced herself to say, as she forced herself to look away from him again. It felt so wrong now to call him anything but Ben. He was _her_ Ben. She turned to the rest of the room. “Meeting dismissed.”

As the meeting dispersed, the Summer cabinet clamored around her. They were excited and confused at the King’s generosity, chattering and talking about the wonderful spring celebrations they would hold--except Rose.

Rose and Rey only exchanged a look as the Summer cabinet left the Great Hall.

~~~

At the Spring Equinox ceremony, the crowds were buzzing.

It was more than the usual amount of anticipation for the ceremony to begin, more than the Summers’ anticipation for their beloved transition season to begin. No, this time even the Winters were causing a ruckus, gossiping and looking excited themselves. Now _that_ was unusual for them. Winters never got excited about _anything._

Because her cabinet was as curious about the unrest as she was, Poe and Finn went outside to investigate as Rey stayed inside the building with Jannah, Kaydel and Rose. Curiously, it was just them so far. Usually, the Winter cabinet waited in this area, along with Ben himself, but they were somewhere else today. 

The only reason Rey knew they were already here was because she’d seen their horse drawn carriages parked outside, the carriage drivers idly feeding the horses and keeping them away from the noisy crowd.

Ben was avoiding her. Perhaps that was for the best, after their obvious, lovesick display at the meeting last night. It was better this way.

It was what was best for their kingdoms.

Finn and Poe returned from outside, rushing over to the women. “The Queen is here,” Poe exclaimed.

Kaydel, Rose, and Jannah glanced at Rey, and Rey frowned in puzzlement. She said slowly, “Yes, Lord Poe. I’m right here.”

Finn clarified, “Not you, Your Majesty. He meant the old Winter queen. Padme Amidala. She was spotted exiting a carriage with the King. She’ll be attending today’s ceremony.”

Rey’s eyes widened. The Dowager Queen Winter was here? Ben’s _grandmother?_ What was she doing here? She had never come to one of these events--or at least it had been several years since she had. Her showing up was huge.

“No wonder the Winters are in a tizzy,” Jannah murmured.

“The Summers too,” Poe said. “She’s a big deal.”

Padme Amidala had served as Queen Winter for over forty years. She was by far the longest-running Winter monarch. She had a reputation of being strict, unyielding, and cold. And she had raised Ben. No one knew what happened to his parents--although now that Rey knew about his half-Summer genes, she had an idea. Whatever had happened with his birth parents, it didn’t end well.

Bracing herself against the wall, Rey suddenly felt dizzy. She ran her jittery hands over today's ceremonial gown, powder pink and swirling layers of tulle covered with thousands of cherry blossoms, matching her crown. Was she going to meet Ben’s grandmother today? What if she didn’t like her?

 _But wait_ , Rey thought immediately afterward, feeling foolish. _It doesn’t matter what she thinks of me. Because Ben and I can’t be together anyway._

She likely would barely acknowledge Rey’s existence.

Rey was gathered to the front doors for the start of the ceremony, and finally, there was Ben.

For the day’s ceremony, instead of wearing head-to-toe black, he wore head-to-toe blue. It wasn’t as deep a shade of blue as Rey might expect from him, a richer royal blue instead of navy that basically looked black in certain lighting. And his ice crown was simple.

His attention was on her the moment she had come near him. Just as the night before, his gaze on her was making her even more miserable.

She mustered a formal, appropriate greeting. “King Winter.”

He had other plans. “You look beautiful.”

Eyes widening, she swung around to take a glance. No one was close enough to have heard, thankfully. “Someone could have heard you,” she whispered.

“Don’t care.”

“Don’t do this,” she said under her breath, strained. “Please. We can’t continue. Your cabinet members made themselves very clear.”

“So did I,” Ben stated conversationally. “When I fired them, and then my grandmother banished them from the country.”

Her stomach plummeted.

“Your Majesties, we’re ready to begin the ceremony,” the event coordinator said politely, appearing as if from nowhere. “Please exit the doors!”

“What did you just say?” she said to Ben directly. He didn’t answer, getting ushered through the doors, but Rey swore that she saw him _grinning_ to himself.

Could it be true? Did he really do that?

Rey was shuffled out through the doors herself, and then she had no time to ponder what he’d said. She put on her Queen mask, waving to the crowds and smiling.

She came to a stop next to Ben on the steps, and when she did, her eyes were drawn to a figure several feet away. It was, indeed, the Dowager Winter Queen herself, surrounded by six Winter guard Knights in their shiny red armor. 

She was radiant and opulent, with elegant posture like a dancer. She wore a gown with a neckline up to her chin, wide panniers around her waist, and it was a royal blue that matched Ben’s clothes almost exactly. Her eyes were on Rey, examining and curious.

Flustered, Rey did a deep curtsey in her direction, before her gape-mouthed awe was taken as disrespect.

And to Rey’s shock, Ben’s grandmother _smiled_. She inclined her head back.

The ceremony began. When Rey and Ben touched their gloved hands together, looking at one another, it was impossible for Rey not to think of every single time they had touched hands. Here. In the forest. In the dark.

She saw the way Ben’s eyes shadowed and knew he was thinking of the same.

Their powers combined, and winter lifted. It was over much too soon, and yet not soon enough. Rey was ready to leave, just so she wouldn’t have to stay here any longer and keep pretending that she wasn’t in love with this man.

She stood with him, taking their routine handshake picture. The photograph was taken. And when Rey turned on her heel, starting to walk away, his voice stopped her.

“Queen Summer.”

She turned to look at him. Ben was on the step behind her--on one knee. Just behind him stood his grandmother. The dowager queen smiled down at him, and it was the warmest Rey had ever seen a Winter look.

She wasn’t quite sure what was happening, staying frozen where she was, hands holding her skirt. “Yes?”

“Rey,” Ben said this time, bare and vulnerable. And in front of his grandmother, the royal photographer, his guards, her guards, in front of his people, her people--in front of _everyone_ , he said what she had only ever read from him in his letters. “I love you.”

Everything fell silent around them. And there was only him.

Rey was so, so scared. But she was overjoyed, too. “Ben, what are you doing?”

“Only what needs to be done, because I can’t live another moment without you. And because my beloved grandmother insisted upon it.” Then he pulled out a silver ring encrusted with a huge black diamond. “She gave me the ring, after all.”

Immediately realizing what was happening, Rey gasped, both hands flying to her face. She shook.

“Let’s unite our kingdoms, our people. Let’s make a place where we can love each other freely. Let’s make a new Dyad.” He held up the ring. “Marry me.”

In view of her people, in view of his people, in view of the lands they ruled over, at the start of their first spring in love, Rey said yes.


	6. epilogue.

**epilogue**

A Summer wedding.

The weeks following the polarizing, controversial, utterly unexpected events of the Spring Equinox were a whirlwind.

Rey and Ben found themselves needing to hold a rushed, thrown together meeting of their courts right afterward to explain everything to their bewildered cabinets--all except for Lady Rose, of course, who had luckily been the first to know about the nation’s royal couple. 

It was there that they proposed their full, step-by-step Dyad unification plan, which Ben had developed with his grandmother before his marriage proposal, and then revised with Rey, his future wife. It was detailed, it was thorough, and even the most stubborn, unyielding members of their cabinets had to admit that it was a well thought of plan. They also went over their future living plans: Ben and Rey would live in the Summer Castle during her seasons (with some new cooling accommodations that would allow him to be comfortable), and during his seasons, they’d live in the Winter Castle (with, naturally, the best heaters for her).

The full unification rollout would take years to finish, but the King and the Queen were prepared to see it through. Together, they would rebuild their country.

And then started the wedding plans.

The very negative public opinion started to shift as soon as there was a larger-than-life, lavish royal wedding to prepare for. The best flora conjurers in the Summer kingdom were enlisted for their help in decorating, and the best chefs and bakers in both kingdoms scrambled to show off their culinary skills for a chance to cater the big reception--which was set to be the biggest party ever seen. 

Tailors and designers lined up at the Winter Castle for a chance to dress His Majesty, and there were double the amount at the Summer Castle who wanted the chance to work on the Queen’s bridal gown--from _both_ kingdoms. Perhaps not as many Winters hated Rey as she had believed.

Finally the day arrived, and the nuptials took place inside, of course, the place where it all began: the Great Hall. 

Only cabinet members and immediate family members were allowed inside the doors, and ordinary citizens of both kingdoms excitedly gathered outside, watching the broadcast of the ceremony on a large screen. Many of them were adorned with merchandise that said ‘Two That Are One!’ and ‘A Nation United For All!’, along with flags with Ben and Rey’s faces on them and banners with messages of support and love.

Other, much less excited citizens of both kingdoms either watched it at home, or ignored it altogether. Perhaps they weren’t happy about the events transpiring, but that didn’t make them any less real. And there wasn’t anything they could do to stop it.

Because change had come. And change was unstoppable.

When the ceremony ended, and the Queen and King exited the Hall, bare hands intertwined, they waved to the adoring crowds, their radiant happiness visible to all. They climbed into a horse-drawn carriage, which would take them to the sprawling hills between the two kingdoms for the reception. 

The entire nation was invited, and it was larger than life--bigger than both Solstice celebrations combined. It was heavily guarded, with royal guards from both castles presiding over the whole event to keep things civil. 

But as the drinks flowed, something lovely happened: groups of Summers and Winters talked, ate together, and drank together. Some danced together. Some laughed, some held good-natured magic demonstrations that entertained. And children of both kingdoms frolicked and played together.

There was no fighting, no nastiness. It was as if witnessing Rey and Ben’s love with their own eyes had inspired them all to try it for themselves. To embrace their differences instead of being afraid of them.

Things weren’t perfect, and maybe they would never be. But it was a start.

Noticeably missing from all the pageantry were the Queen and King themselves. Instead of sitting at the long table they had sat at earlier in their thrones as their people toasted to their love and their new union, they snuck away. 

They escaped to the Hall, completely empty again after the ceremony, and left their guards at the doors to keep watch. 

In their wedding finery, they had their first waltz to no music, to the beating of their own hearts, to the pace of the ancient, infinite dance of their seasons. To and fro, moving New and Old things, and without breaking anything. 

Rey and Queen Summer, Ben and King Winter--dualities in harmony at last.

Ben dipped Rey, one hand gripping her waist. His other hand grasping her hand in his, two perhaps hands claiming. As they had dozens of times before, and would thousands of times more.

A ripe, happy vine of ivy grew down Rey’s arm, winding over their hands and around Ben’s wrist. A blessing of their love from Earth herself. Tears of joy pricked Ben’s eyes. Alone, with no outside eyes staring carefully at them, they kissed. Magic balancing. 

Belonging.

_fin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnd that's all, folks!
> 
> Thank you once again to all the mods at RFFA for putting this project together, especially during Hell Year. Participating in this anthology was an honor, and possibly the highlight of my entire year. So grateful for all your hard work and dedication!
> 
> Please don't forget to check out the other works in the [2020 Reylo Fanfiction Anthology!](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/RFFAToRapturetheEarthandtheSeas/works)
> 
> And if you liked this story, I hope that you might also check out my other Reylo fanfic (soon to be completed!) [Brooklyn Baby](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14292462), my Modern AU passion project of the last 3 years. I'd also very much appreciate a comment or kudos, please don't be shy!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> 🌸🌹🌼🌷🌳💧🍁🍂❄🧊⛄


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